As James DeGale prepares to defend his world title and with the Vasyl Lomachenko-Guillermo Rigondeaux fantasy match up just a week away, Boxing Social looks at the Olympic champions who made it to the top in the pros as well – and those that didn’t.
10. Frankie Genaro
Genaro is in the history books as the first fighter to win Olympic gold and world professional honours. He won the Olympics in Antwerp in 1920, two days before his 19th birthday, and went on to be a crowd-pleasing world champion in a great era for the flyweight division.
9. Chris Finnegan
Middleweight gold medallist at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, Finnegan’s misfortune was that his peak in the pros coincided with that of one of the greatest light-heavyweight champions in history, Bob Foster. Finnegan pushed Foster hard when he challenged him in 1972 before being knocked out in the 14th round.
8. James DeGale
‘Chunky’ is in the history books as the first British fighter to add world professional honours to Olympic gold. He won the middleweight gold in Beijing in 2008 – despite a tough draw and the distraction of staying in the same hotel as the Brazilian women’s beach volleyball team – and the IBF super-middleweight title by outpointing Andre Dirrell.
7. Audley Harrison
The big southpaw won super-heavyweight gold at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, signed a lucrative contract with the BBC upon turning pro at 29 – and proved to be a huge disappointment. He only got a shot at the world championship because he didn’t get on with David Haye.
6. Lennox Lewis
Born in East London, Lewis emigrated to Canada when he was nine years ago and has since said he took up boxing to dissuade his classmates from mocking his Cockney accent. He represented Canada at the 1988 Seoul Olympics and won super-heavyweight gold with victory over Riddick Bowe in the final. Bowe would years later give up the WBC heavyweight title rather than face Lewis again and Lennox went on to establish himself as the best heavyweight of his generation.
5. Cassius Clay
At 18, Clay conquered his fear of flying to win Olympic light-heavyweight gold in Italy and as Muhammad Ali in the pros, he of course became a worldwide icon.
4. Pete Rademacher
Now this is fast tracking . . . Rademacher won Olympic gold in Melbourne in 1956 – and challenged for the world heavyweight championship on his professional debut. He had Floyd Patterson on the floor in the second before knocked out in the sixth round. Rademacher retired with a 15-7-1 record that includes stoppage losses to Brian London and Archie Moore.
3. Guillermo Rigondeaux
The Cuban left hander won Olympic gold in 2000 and 2004 and might have won a third had he not been banned after a failed defection attempt. Rigondeaux did escape Cuba, found his way to America, via Mexico, on a speedboat organised by Cork businessman Gary Hyde, and won a world title of sorts in his seventh pro fight, the WBA interim title.
He took the full title in his ninth fight by overwhelming previously unbeaten Rico Ramos in six rounds and added the WBO belt with a points win over Nonito Donaire. “I’m not the best,” Rigondeaux has said, “but I’m the most complete.”
2. Vasyl Lomachenko
The brilliant Ukrainian southpaw won Olympic gold at two weights, featherweight in 2008 and lightweight in London four years later, winning the Val Barker Trophy for Best Boxer at the former. His transition to the pros has been smooth. After seven fights, Lomachenko was a two-weight world champion, bamboozling and breaking down quality fighters Gary Russell jr, Roman Martinez and Nicholas Walters with his unique skills.
1. Lazlo Papp
Gold medallist at the Olympics in 1948, 1952 and 1956, Papp, described as “a stumpy Hungarian southpaw” by historian Bob Mee, was unbeaten in the pros – but couldn’t beat the Communist Hungarian government. On the brink of a shot at world middleweight champion Joey Giardello, they decided to withdraw his passport and with pro boxing banned in Hungary, Papp never fought again. He died in 2003.
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