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Who is Lewis Richardson? Meet Great Britain’s only boxing medallist from the Paris Olympics
Lewis Richardson will make his professional debut this weekend on the undercard of Fabio Wardley vs Justi Huni at Portman Road.
Richardson emerged from the 2024 Paris Olympics as Great Britain’s only medallist in the boxing event, winning a bronze medal in the middleweight division.
He will now hope to make an impression at super welterweight as a professional – here is what you need to know about Richardson ahead of his debut.
Who is Lewis Richardson?
Richardson, from Colchester, took up boxing as a means to keep fit whilst he was playing football, but this quickly turned into his main focus as he claimed the National Schools Championship in 2012.
Now turning professional as a super welterweight, he will face Dmitri Protkunas, 8-20-1 (1).
- Height: 6’ 1 ½“
- Age: 27
- Stance: Southpaw
Amateur career
After winning his first national championship in 2012, Richardson had a successful career as an amateur representing England and Great Britain on the international stage.
Richardson was on the path to a spot on the 2020 GB Olympic team but missed out through injury and had to take a year off from the sport in 2018.
Once he returned, he got back to winning ways and showcased his talent, winning a silver at the European championships and a bronze at the Commonwealth Games in 2022
This led to him getting the opportunity to earn a spot in the 2024 Olympics by successfully navigating the World Olympic Qualification Tournament in Thailand.
Due to the 75kg category being cut from the Olympic boxing programme, the Colchester native was forced to boil down into the 71kg category for the games.
This would prove to be a worthwhile sacrifice for Richardson, who was awarded a bye into the second round of the Olympic tournament, where he would proceed to beat Serbia’s Vahid Abasov and Zeyed Ishaiah of Jordan, both on a 3:2 split decision, to reach the quarterfinals and secure Britain’s only medal.
He would fall short in the quarterfinals, losing a tight 3:2 split decision to Mexico’s Marco Verde, to confirm his bronze medal.
After taking time to consider his future in boxing, between the 2028 Olympics and turning professional, Richardson announced that he would turn over, officially leaving the GB World Class Programme.
Richardson said in a Queensberry video: “My inspiration as a professional is to go all the way and win a world title. I remember watching the likes of Joe Calzaghe, Richie Woodhall and in more recent years, of course, the likes of Tyson Fury.”
- Total bouts: 67
- Wins: 46
- Losses: 19
bWatch Fabio Wardley vs Justis Huni on DAZN with a discounted special offer subscription price. More information here
