Olympic bronze medal-winning boxer Lewis Richardson will make his professional debut this weekend in Ipswich.
The 27-year-old from Colchester won Britain’s only boxing medal at the Paris Olympics in 2024.
His first professional fight will be against Dmitri Protkunas, as part of the undercard for Fabio Wardley v Justis Huni.
Olympic Hero Lewis Richardson Ready To Be A Professional Boxer
Speaking to BBC Essex, Richardson said: “The long-term ambition is to become a world champion. I believe I am capable of doing so.
“My coach, Dennis [Mullan] says he was Colchester’s first national champ as an amateur.
“I think I’m right in saying I’ll be their first world champion.”
Unlike other Olympians, such as Delicious Orie, Richardson waited until May to sign a professional contract.
The world saw his Olympic triumph. We saw a future World Champion 🤝
Lewis Richardson’s journey has only just begun 🔥 pic.twitter.com/CNYdpEu35D
— Queensberry Promotions (@Queensberry) May 2, 2025
Lewis Richardson Signs With Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions
One of the biggest names in British boxing, Frank Warren is a hugely successful promoter.
He has previously managed elite British talent, including Tyson Fury, Ricky Hatton, Frank Bruno and Chris Eubank Sr.
Richardson will compete at middleweight, and says he hopes to “provide an example for the youngsters”.
A proud Colchester native, he is often seen at League Two football club Colchester United.
Speaking about the delay in signing a professional deal, he said it was important to build the right support team.
“I took my time. I know a lot of people were asking why I was taking so long. There is method behind the madness. I wanted a solid team behind me,” he added.
“I’m very proud to come from Colchester and Essex. I come from a traditional council estate environment, but it just shows the power of sport.
“And the power of having good, loving people around you so you can express yourself and be the best you can be.”
British Olympic Boxing Has Produced Some Elite Talents
There have been plenty of huge stars in British boxing history to come through the Olympics.
In 2012, Anthony Joshua won gold at the London Olympics in the super heavyweight division.
Anthony Joshua and his Olympic gold medal. pic.twitter.com/zjaf5DfoHS
— Knuckles and Gloves Podcast (@KnucklesNGloves) December 6, 2023
Before that, Amir Khan rose to fame with his silver at the 2004 games in Athens as a lightweight.
And in 2012, Nicola Adams became a trailblazer for women’s boxing, as the first female gold medallist.
She would go on to defend her flyweight gold four years later in Rio.
All three of the above went on to win world titles as professional boxers.
Why Do Olympic Boxers Wear Headgear?
Until recently, all Olympics boxers wore mandatory headgear.
Aimed at protecting against cuts, scrapes and swelling, studies have shown there is little evidence of any protection from concussion.
The headgear rules were introduced to decrease the risk of serious head injury.
This followed the tragic death of South Korean boxer Kim Duk-Koo in 1982.
But numerous studies have disputed the effectiveness of headgear at preventing concussion.
And a study by Global Sport actually found boxers without headgear were less likely to suffer concussion.
This led to the removal of mandatory headgear for male Olympic boxers in 2016.
However, female boxers still wear headgear at the Olympics.
