Sarah Dyce

Fists will fly and history will be made when boxing hits the SEC Centre for Glasgow 2026, with eight Australian debutants going toe-to-toe on the Commonwealth Games stage for the first time.

This marks a fresh chapter for a sport that has appeared in every Commonwealth Games since the inaugural edition, now held during the first Games to feature an equal number of men’s and women’s events.

Overview

Australia’s Glasgow 2026 boxing team is entirely made up of first-time Commonwealth Games representatives, the first time the green and gold have fielded an all-debutant squad since Manchester 2002.

The team spans eight of the 14 weight divisions on offer. In the women’s draw, Monique Suraci (ACT) will contest the Bantamweight (54kg), Eve Bryson (NSW) the Welterweight (65kg), Lekeisha Pergoliti (WA) the Light Middleweight (70kg) and Emma-Sue Greentree (NSW) the Middleweight (75kg).

On the men’s side, Jye Dixon (QLD) will fight in the Bantamweight (55kg), Jacob Cassar (VIC) the Welterweight (65kg), Paul Trainor (NSW) the Light Heavyweight (80kg) and Lachlan Lawson (NSW) the Heavyweight (90kg).

At 19, Cassar is the youngest member of the squad, while Greentree, 27, is the most experienced by age. NSW leads the state representation with four athletes, followed by one each from Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia and the ACT.

Ones to Watch

Australia

With the entire team on debut, Glasgow 2026 marks a fresh generation of Australian boxing talent. Each athlete will pull on the green and gold for the first time and take to the ring inside the SEC.

Greentree is currently ranked number one in the Commonwealth, and will be eyeing a spot on the podium to further solidify her status as a boxer to watch.

International

Michaela Walsh of Northern Ireland arrives as the sport’s most credentialled competitor, having appeared at every women’s boxing tournament held at the Commonwealth Games. Walsh won flyweight silver at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and featherweight silver at Gold Coast 2018, before claiming gold in that division at Birmingham 2022, and will defend her title in Glasgow.

Host nation Scotland has named a record five women to its boxing squad as it bids for a first Commonwealth Games medal in the women’s competition. Niamh Mitchell, who will contest the lightweight division, became the first female boxer to win a major international title for Scotland when she claimed the European Junior Championship in 2022.

Sport Format

Boxing at Glasgow 2026 will see both men’s and women’s bouts each consisting of three rounds of three minutes. A bout can end early via knockout, disqualification or retirement. If a boxer is knocked down, the bout stops until the referee reaches a count of eight, and the downed boxer loses if the referee reaches a count of ten.

The tournament format is single-elimination, beginning with a round of 32 or round of 16 depending on the number of entries in each division. Winners advance through to the semi-finals, where the two semi-final winners meet in the gold medal bout. There is no bronze medal bout: both losing semi-finalists are awarded bronze medals.

Each bout is scored by five judges, positioned independently around the ring. At the end of every round, each judge awards 10 points to the winning boxer and nine, eight or seven points to the losing boxer, depending on how clearly that round was won. The bout winner is then determined by unanimous or split decision across the five judges’ scorecards.

Competition Schedule

Boxing runs from Friday 24 July to Saturday 1 August 2026 at the SEC Centre’s Hall 5, comprising 17 sessions across 14 medal events. Competition opens on Friday 24 July with preliminary bouts, progressing through the round of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals: the latter held on Friday 31 July.

All 14 finals and medal ceremonies take place on Saturday 1 August.

Fast Facts

• Boxing has a proud history at the Commonwealth Games as one of three sports to be part of every single Games since 1930, alongside swimming and athletics.
• Women’s boxing was added to the program at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
• Australia’s best Commonwealth Games boxing result came at Gold Coast 2018, with eight medals including three gold.