Team GB Boxer Lewis Richardson Considers Turning Pro: ‘It’s A Definite Option’
Lewis Richardson, the only Team GB boxer to medal at the Paris Olympics, has revealed he is considering turning professional.
Richardson was one of five fighters to represent Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Paris, but despite high expectations and a long history of Olympic success, the 27-year-old was the only boxer from his team to get on the podium.
Richardson won bronze in the welterweight division after narrowly losing his semi-final to Mexico’s Marco Verde on a 3-2 split decision – a feat made even more impressive considering the Englishman is a natural middleweight.
The absence of a middleweight division in Paris meant if Richardson wanted to compete at the Olympics, he would need to drop to a weight he hadn’t fought at since he was a teenager.
Now he has a big decision to make: either stay in the Team GB boxing program and aim for gold at Los Angeles 2028 or take his talents to the professional ranks.
“I’ve got no regrets. I’m extremely proud to have won a bronze medal, that was not a given,” he told the BBC Radio 5 Live Boxing podcast. “My boxing career is not over, that’s one thing for certain. It’s a case of whether we want to try and transition into the pro ranks which is a definite option or if we want to stay on the [Team GB] program.”
Richardson’s road to becoming an Olympic medallist has been filled with challenges. He missed out on qualifying for Tokyo 2020 three years ago and then had to contend with the removal of the middleweight division from the Paris program.
To get himself accustomed to fighting at welterweight, Richardson self-funded a tournament in Portugal where he competed at the 71kg limit for the first time in almost a decade.
“It was a challenge, but it was something I wouldn’t change for the world,” Richardson said. “If that’s the sacrifice I’ve had to make for the Olympic Games and to become an Olympic medallist then so be it.”
Richardson is now looking forward to marking his Olympic success in two ways; firstly, a tattoo of the Olympic rings, and secondly, to see his photo up on the wall at Team GB boxing headquarters alongside the British medallists who came before him.
Among the names Richardson will be placed alongside include Anthony Joshua, Amir Khan, James DeGale, Nicola Adams, and Lauren Price – all of whom went on to become world champions as professionals.
“The Olympic ring tattoo is a statement, a respect and honour to have represented your country on the greatest event in the world,” Richardson said. “To get my picture on the wall at GB Boxing – it goes quite underappreciated how important that is and how valued it is for us.”
