A Sport student from Stratford-upon-Avon College is making her way towards a glowing boxing career after several victories and reaching the final in a National Championship.
Sky Barnett, 16, is in her first year of the Sport course at college and is training and competing alongside her studies to ensure she will knock out the competition and make it as a professional Boxer.
Sky has always been a fighter. Starting in martial arts at the age of 5, she began boxing three years ago. As well as training every day, spending three days a week with a coach plus studying her college course, Sky is also competing in at least a couple of matches a month and is proving a talented competitor.
Sky won her category in the Women’s Winter Box Cup at the end of 2025 and her most recent competition was at the Youth National Championships 2026 where she was a finalist for the cadet category. But Sky’s sights are set for more.
In a recent interview with NotJustBoxing, Sky shared how she has big plans for her career: “Hopefully I can win a national title and then hopefully box for England and GB and then to the Olympics one day and then to win a title in professional.”
Sky is extremely proud to be a role model for others, especially in a sport which is male dominated: “Now more girls are doing it and it’s great to be building a strong community. Sport can sometimes be seen as something for boys so to see more girls doing it, it’s really nice.”
She is finding studying alongside her college course a real bonus due to the support from her tutor and the learning itself: “Learning more about fitness and body anatomy has helped me to train in more efficient ways, so it’s been great doing my course alongside my training.”
Sports Lecturer Enrique Cardenas, is extremely proud of Sky’s achievements: “Sky is an exceptional student who consistently demonstrates a strong work ethic and a commitment to achieving the highest standards in all assessments. She approaches her practical work with confidence and professionalism, showing a genuine enthusiasm for developing new skills. These qualities contribute significantly to her growth both as an athlete and as a future practitioner in the sports industry.
I have no doubt that Sky will continue to excel in her studies and future sporting career. Her dedication, curiosity, and determination position her strongly for ongoing success.”
