Owain Harris-Allan is constantly battling. Battling to win a gold medal, battling to become the best boxer he can possibly be, battling to fulfil the promises he made to his late mum, battling just to survive.
It was the title given to the mini-documentary produced earlier this year on this tenacious but troubled 22-year-old who found sanctuary in the ring to escape the turbulence outside of it.
From the Llanedeyrn estate of Cardiff, Harris-Allan was 16 years old when he discovered his mum dead at home from a heart attack. It had a naturally devastating effect and he went off the rails for a while, taking drugs and getting into trouble with the police.
His life seemed destined to go one of only two ways but boxing, and in particular the persistence of the Apollos boxing club he had first walked into as an eight-year-old, saved him.
‘Without boxing, I’d probably be in prison or dead,’ he admits with remarkable candour in the documentary. Now as he prepares to represent Team Wales in his second Commonwealth Games, targeting a gold to go alongside the bronze he won four years ago, he opens up further on how significant an intervention that was.
‘You either live with regrets or you push for your goals, innit?’ he says. ‘I’ve been boxing since I was eight years of age so I’ve always been in and around the sport. And when Covid came around and everything was closed I just went a bit off the rails.
Owain Harris-Allan admits that boxing helped keep him out of trouble as his life threatened to spiral out of control
‘But I got myself back to boxing. And when I got on the Wales team, I knew I had to be locked in. It was all or nothing.
‘All that stuff from my past is gone now. Obviously I owe the gym and folk at Apollos everything. If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t be in the position I’m in now.’
Six years on from her tragic death, his mum continues to inspire him. ‘[Thinking of her] gives me the extra boost, it gives me the push. I made a promise to her about my boxing goals and just doing good in life. And I’ll make sure the promise stays true. For sure [I’m doing her proud]. But there’s still a long way to go. This is just a start.’
Harris-Allan, who cites Vasiliy Lomachenko as his role model, was diagnosed with ADHD during primary school, something he continues to deal with to this day.
‘On rest days, I’m a bit wild,’ he admits. ‘But when I’m training and all my energy is going into that, by the end of the day, I’m knackered so it’s straight to bed.
‘To switch off I do things like go on holiday or just chill out with the boys, go for walks, play games. I try to switch off most weekends from boxing. I like running a lot. I think it’s good for the mental health. I think it’s good for everything.’
Harris-Allan, who has benefited from National Lottery funding, will compete in the 60kg category in Glasgow and says only one colour of medal will do. If he was a teenage novice when he won bronze in Birmingham in 2022, it is a different story now.
Harris-Allan won bronze in Birmingham four years ago but is now eyeing an upgrade
‘I know I’m up there in the world scene,’ he adds. ‘I know I’m one of the best in the world. And you’ve got to beat the best to be the best. I’ve grown immensely in the last four years, as a person and as a boxer. So, I’m pushing for gold for sure.
‘I train hard, I dedicate my life to it, and you’ve got to believe in yourself in this sport. Because if you don’t believe in yourself, you’re halfway to losing before you even start.’
Thanks to National Lottery players, more than £33million is raised every week for good causes. It’s because of you sport, arts, heritage and community projects, as well as our athletes competing at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, are supported across the UK.
Because of National Lottery players, vital investment reaches every corner of sport, from grassroots clubs to elite programmes. It funds the coaches, the science, the facilities, and the athlete development pathways, that have got the home nation teams to the start line.
