Dorset’s ‘Pocket Rocket’ targets Commonwealth gold as Olympic dream gathers pace
Dorset's Ruby White says she's targeting Commonwealth Games gold as she prepares for her Team England debut
A teenage boxer from Dorset is hoping to take another step towards her Olympic dreams after being selected to represent Team England at this week’s Commonwealth Games.
Ruby White, 19, will make her Games debut in Glasgow carrying one of the most formidable records in British amateur boxing.
The Sturminster Newton fighter has gone more than 60 bouts unbeaten, won seven national titles and collected four European championships for England before becoming Under-19 world champion in 2024.
Now, the boxer known as the “Pocket Rocket” has set her sights firmly on Commonwealth gold.
“Obviously my goal is to win gold and bring back gold for England,” White said ahead of the Games.
“After that, I just want to keep progressing, keep training hard and performing, and getting those results in for GB and for England.
“I want to go to the 2028 Olympics, maybe do two Olympic cycles, and then I want to turn professional. I want to win everything as a professional and become undisputed.”
White, who trains at Sturminster Newton Amateur Boxing Club, began boxing at the age of seven and has enjoyed a remarkable rise through the amateur ranks.
She told us her first national minors title came at 11, she’s since established herself as one of England’s brightest prospects.
She said selection for Team England made years of sacrifice worthwhile: “I cannot wait to put on my Team England vest and the kit, all of it.
“All the gruelling runs, the sparring, the strength and conditioning, it’s all been worth it.
“I’m going to feel so proud to wear it and to wear the Three Lions on my chest and do well for my country.”
White’s ambitions extend well beyond Glasgow. She has identified the 2028 Olympic Games as her next major target before eventually pursuing a professional career, where she hopes to emulate two of women’s boxing’s greatest names.
Olympic champion Nicola Adams and two-weight undisputed world champion Katie Taylor are among the fighters she admires most.
With an unbeaten record, a world title already secured and Commonwealth selection at just 19, Ruby arrives in Glasgow with expectations high and the belief that Dorset may be witnessing the emergence of its next sporting star.