Paris Medalist Richardson Aiming for Early Professional Transition.

Olympic bronze medalist Lewis Richardson intends to leverage his Paris success to kickstart his professional career.

Colchester’s Lewis Richardson emerged as Team GB’s only boxing medallist in Paris, despite narrowly missing gold with a 3-2 split decision loss to Mexico's Marco Verde. 

After clinching European and Commonwealth Games medals in 2022, Richardson faced a tough choice between pursuing more Olympic success or turning professional.

Reflecting on his Olympic journey, Richardson shared with BBC Look East, "Achieving my dream of competing at the Games and returning with a medal has boosted my profile and marketability. I’m now focused on transitioning to a professional career soon."

"I aim to box for major titles and ultimately win a world championship in the future," Richardson said.

Visiting Colchester United’s training ground on Tuesday, Richardson reflected on his Olympic experience. He won two bouts in the light-middleweight category before falling to Marco Verde, who lost to Asadkhuja Muydinkhujaev in the final.

"Boxing is subjective with five judges making the call. It wasn’t meant to be, but I’m pleased with how I performed and conducted myself," he noted.

Richardson, who previously fought at middleweight, found losing an additional 4kg a significant challenge. "I’m a large light-middleweight, and even bigger as a middleweight at 6'2". 

The struggle was worth it for the experience. My friend said the squeeze would be worth the juice, and I’ll always cherish these memories of meeting iconic sports figures.