SA northern suburbs boxing star, Callum Peters will compete in the Paris Olympic Games and is ready to make history

A northern suburbs boxing star will compete for Olympic glory and will look to create history by becoming the first Indigenous boxer to win gold for Australia.

South Australian Indigenous boxing star Callum Peters will leave nothing to chance when he fights for gold at next week’s Olympic Games.

Born and raised in Adelaide’s northern suburbs, Peters, 21, is determined to go one better in Paris after claiming silver in a controversial finish at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

“He’s had a couple of really close decisions where it could have gone either way and I think maybe that’s left a little bit of a bitter taste in his mouth,” his mother, Cassie Peters, told The Sunday Mail.

Adelaide’s Callum Peters is determined to bring home the gold. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images for AOC)

“He said to me, ‘I’m going to leave it all in the ring, mum. I don’t want to ever second guess if I should have done something different. I really want to make sure I give it everything’.”

Peters will fight in the 80kg division as he aims to become the first boxer to win gold for Australia at an Olympics.

He’s currently in a training camp in Germany before heading to the French capital on Tuesday where he will join the rest of the Australian Olympic team, ahead of the opening ceremony on Friday.

Ms Peters and her husband, Bradley – who’s also Peters’ coach – will remain in Adelaide and watch the Games from their home in Davoren Park.

She admitted there will be a few anxious moments for the family, which includes Peters’ eight brothers and sisters.

“I’m sad that we’re not there but he knows in his heart that we’re supporting him wherever we are,” Ms Peters said. “We’ll still get to see it, obviously it’s still nerve racking whether you’re there or you’re at home – it doesn’t really matter.”

Cheering Peters on in Paris will be his girlfriend, SA volleyballer Bailee Kendall, and her family, plus some close friends.

Callum with parents Cassie and Bradley Peters who will cheer him on from SA. Picture: Russell Millard Photography

Ms Peters said she “never doubted” that her son would reach the pinnacle of his sport.

“He worked so hard and trained hard, he had that goal and he envisioned it,” she said.

“You miss out on a lot as you’re growing up. There’s lots of things that he’s had to sacrifice… things on the weekends and parties.

“But he’s never turned around and said, ‘I don’t want to train today. I want to go out with my friends’. He’s never done that. He’s just been so focused on that goal.”

That strong work ethic was instilled in him from an early age, with the youngster taking up the sport as a nine-year-old at the Northside Boxing Club in Elizabeth. But it wasn’t always smooth sailing.

“When he first started boxing, he didn’t really like it very much - it was more for fitness,” Ms Peters said.

Boxing didn’t come easy for Callum, but he overcame and is now ready to make Olympic history. Picture: Matt King/Getty Images for AOC)

“I remember I used to take him and he used to cry in the car because he didn’t want to go in. It was hard work. But once he got better at it, he started to make friends and it became more of a fun experience.”

Peters is keen to use his status as an Olympian to inspire youth in Adelaide’s north, and show them that anything is possible.

“He knows people look up to him and he’s really conscious of showing them that if you put the work in, you can have a future,” Ms Peters said.

“Especially, you know, growing up in Elizabeth, there’s not a lot of opportunities for kids here. He’s showing them that it doesn’t matter where you live or where you come from, if you want something you can make it happen.”