Hickey Goes Pro, Aims for World Title Success.

Sam Hickey is confident in his abilities to compete at the highest level after making the leap to professional status. He believes he has what it takes to not only challenge for world titles but to emerge victorious in them.

Sam Hickey, aged 24, aims to make his professional boxing debut this autumn following a successful amateur career highlighted by winning a middleweight gold medal for Scotland at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

"I believe with my amateur background and achievements, I should be aiming to reach the top in the professional ranks," Hickey told BBC Scotland. "So, I'm setting high standards for myself."

His plans to conclude his amateur career at the Paris Olympics this summer were dashed when his weight category was removed from the program. 

Despite attempting to move up to light heavyweight, the Dundee-native admits it was challenging, and he ultimately missed out on selection for Team GB.

Hickey believes the decision to remove middleweight from the Olympic program is not only detrimental to him personally but also to Olympic boxing overall.

"It's a tough situation because they're losing a boxer not based on skill but due to weight category changes," he explained. "It's frustrating."

Reflecting on his own performance, Hickey stated, "At middleweight, I was on a strong streak. I believe I could have been a contender to qualify. Many people thought so too."

Having been named male boxer of the Commonwealth Games and achieving European bronze in the same year, Hickey is the most successful Scottish boxer at this level.

"With proper support and maintaining top fitness, I'm confident I can compete for and win world titles," he emphasized. "Whether it's British, European, or world titles, my goal is to reach the top, especially as the middleweight division is wide open domestically right now."