Tuesday 14 April 2015 14:01, UK
Natasha Jonas says the excruciating demands of boxing were behind her decision to call time on her career.
The Toxteth fighter was a bronze medallist at the 2012 Women's World Boxing Championships and has been boxing for 10 years.
The 30-year-old was the first British female boxer to compete at an Olympic Games when she represented Team GB in the 60kg weight division at London 2012, bowing out to eventual winner Katie Taylor in the quarter-finals.
She described the moment she qualified for London 2012 as "a childhood dream come true" but insists it’s now time to look to the future.
“It’s a bit sad,” Jonas told the SportsWomen show on Sky Sports News HQ. "But I just feel like that it’s time because the motivation isn’t there.
"I was recovering from an injury which took me a long time to come back from and I just feel like it’s time for me to focus on something else.
"The training is a rigmarole, it’s so intense. There is no on and off-season in boxing so for us it’s an all-year round thing. After coming back from the injury I just didn’t feel like I could keep doing it to that high level and standard.
"I’m not going miss the runs, the early mornings and the weight-making," the Sky Sports Living for Sport mentor added.
"I got to travel all over the world and I’ve competed at the highest level for England and Great Britain and achieved so many things. I met some amazing people and had some fantastic experiences in my career so it has been amazing.
"It’s opened so many doors for me so I’m never going to be stuck for things to do. There are a lot of opportunities for me now whereas those doors may have been closed had I not gone into boxing.
"But I do want to stay within boxing and coaching and promoting my sport and sport in general."
