When Callum Peters came up against tough Scotsman Sam Hickey in the gold medal middleweight bout at the Commonwealth Games he gave it everything he had.
The two young fighters went blow for blow in the Edinburgh ring, so evenly matched that the TV commentators couldn’t pick a winner at the end.
Eventually the judges awarded the fight to Hickey 29-28 and Peters came home with silver, but his efforts sent a message to the world that there was a hungry young middleweight on the scene.
Now the indigenous boxer is heading to Paris, the first South Australian to be named in the 2024 Olympic squad, and he’s not shy about his aims – to be the first-ever Australian to bring home an Olympic gold medal for boxing.
“To win gold, that’s the goal,” Callum, 21, says.
“We’ve never won gold in boxing, so that would definitely put me up on a wall somewhere. It’d be awesome.”
It’s been a rapid rise for the young boxer from Davoren Park who first pulled on the gloves as a kid for exercise and fitness.
“Over time dad was like, ‘Do you want to fight?’ and I was like, ‘Yeah sure, I’ll go,” Callum says.
“I didn't win, but I was like, ‘Oh, I want to do it again’. And I’ve been doing it ever since, 12 years in the making.”
Callum booked his ticket to Paris after winning gold at the 2023 Pacific Games in Honiara, Solomon Islands by defeating Tongan Roman Viney by unanimous decision in the 80kg division.
“He was a strong boy who’d knocked out 20 people in a row, so it was very scary, but I thought, ‘nah, she’ll be right, put my hands up, trust the training’,” he says.
“But it (Paris) hasn’t really hit me yet. It feels a bit unreal, like, ‘is this really happening?’ But mum and dad were very excited when I got home, we had a big party with a cake.”
Callum says a typical day of training revolves around improving his explosive power, sparring, working on the technical aspects of the sport that can give you a slight edge over your opponent.
He says the South Australia Sports Institute has played an important role in his preparation for Paris.
“There are a lot of things SASI has done to help me get ready,” Callum says.
“I’ve worked with a dietician and a strength conditioning expert. They help make sure I’m strong, healthy and fit. And moving up from 75kg to 80, so I feel good after putting on some size. I’m at 78 at the moment, so I have two kilos to go.”
But if there are two people who Callum knows are always in his corner and urging him to do his best it’s his mum and dad Cassie and Bradley.
“They've been there from the very beginning,” he says.
“This has been 12 years in the making, so it's a long time. A lot of tears and sweat and hard work.
“Mum’s given the support I need and dad coached me as well. It's been an emotional journey, but they’ve always been there for me. It’s all for love.”
For Bradley, just qualifying for the Olympic Games is in itself a remarkable achievement, but he too would love to see his son come back with gold around his neck.
“We’ve never had a gold medal in over 100 years,” Bradley says.
“If he can do it – for himself and for South Australia – all of us would be so proud.”
