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Olympics 2024: Meet Team GB’s boxing hopefuls for Paris

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Team GB is the third most successful boxing team in Olympic history, behind the United States and Cuba, with a combined 18 gold, 13 silver and 25 bronze medals at all Olympic Games. Team GB won six medals in Tokyo three years ago, but in Paris they will have their smallest team since 17-year-old Amir Khan was the only British boxer at the 2004 Athens Olympics, where he won silver.

With fewer men taking part in the tournament, fewer boxers travelled to Paris than at previous games, but Great Britain is still expected to be well represented on the podium at Roland Garros, where the boxing tournament will be held.

There will be more women boxing in Paris than in Tokyo three years ago, but there will be at least 63 fewer men in a reduced seven weight classes, the fewest since 1908.

The likes of James DeGale, Anthony Joshua, Nicola Adams and Lauren Price have gone from Olympic gold medalists to world champions in the professional game. Who are the six boxers who are trying to emulate their success in Paris and could become stars in the paid game?

Delicious Orie

Super Hefty (92kg+)

Age: 27

Record: 29-8 (2 KOs)

Instagram: @deliciousboxing

If the top names were to receive gold medals, super heavyweight Team GB would be a mighty contender. Team GB have a mighty tradition in this division, having won two gold medals (Audley Harrison 2000, Joshua 2012), a silver (Joe Joyce 2016) and a bronze (Frazer Clarke 2021).

Orie, a 6ft 1in son of a Nigerian father and a Russian mother, was born in Moscow. His family moved from Russia to the UK to escape racism and seek a better life when he was seven.

Wolverhampton-based Orie, who only started boxing at the age of 18, will probably have the biggest expectations of the team but has benefited from sparring sessions with two-time heavyweight world champion Joshua, who, like Orie, came to boxing delayed in life. Orie’s potential in Paris was underlined when he won a gold medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, but he enters the Olympics having suffered three points defeats in four fights this year.

Outside of boxing, Orie graduated with an honours degree in Business and Management from Aston University and was named after singer Delicious Kennedy of American R&B band All-4-One.

Patrick Brown

Hefty (92 kg)

Age: 24

Record: 19-3, 4 KOs

Instagram: @patbrown__

Brown trained at the same amateur club (Sale West) as Ricky Hatton and will be trying to win Britain’s first heavyweight medal in over 100 years. He comes into the Games in good form.

The Manchester boxer has been a Great Britain international for two years and beat Mateusz Bereźnicki in a heavyweight bout at the first Olympic qualifiers to secure his place in the qualifying tournament. Now he will be looking to fulfil his dreams in Paris.

Lewis Richardson

Junior Middleweight (71 kg)

Age: 27

Record: 44-18, 1 KO

Instagram: @lewisjrichardson_

The Colchester boxer secured his place at the Olympic Games in June at the final qualifying event after the 75kg category was removed from the Olympic programme and he had to drop down to a lower weight class.

He only started boxing to keep fit for football, but won silver at the European Championships and bronze at the Commonwealth Games as an amateur boxer. Outside of boxing, he is studying part-time for a master’s degree in sports business management.

Chantelle Reid

Age: 26

Average weight (75 kg)

Record: 17-7, 2 KOs

Instagram: @chantelle_reid1_

Reid had to take a six-year break from boxing due to a degenerative disc condition before returning to the sport in 2023. She completed an internship in wealth management and mortgages, investments and pensions, but swapped sitting at a desk for a return to the gym, impressing at the National Boxing Championships the same year she returned.

The Derby fighter has lost her last three fights heading into the Games after qualifying in March, although her last two defeats have come by split decision.

Rosie Eccles

Age: 28

Welterweight (66 kg)

Record: 51-23, 9 KOs

Instagram: @rosieccles1996

The Welshwoman heads to Paris after missing the last Olympics due to three separate COVID-19 attacks and suffering nerve damage in her shoulder. Eccles, from Cardiff, won gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and has an honours degree in sports studies and a master’s degree in sports psychology. She is a mighty contender for a medal in France.

Charley Davison

Age: 30

Bantam weight (54 kg)

Record: 35-12, 2 KOs

Instagram: @charley_sian_davison

Mother-of-three Davison is the only Team GB boxer with Olympic experience, having lost a medal in the quarter-finals in Tokyo three years ago, and has moved up from flyweight to bantamweight for Paris.

The Lowestoft boxer initially returned to boxing only to lose weight after giving up the sport to have children (Arnell, Armani and Amir). In April, she won four fights in the US, her only fights in 2024.

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Tyson’s conqueror, Danny Williams, was “never considered” for Morrison

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Kenzie Morrison Danny Williams

World Boxing News has learned that Danny Williams was never considered for a fight against Tommy Morrison’s son Kenzie on November 9.

WBN has learned from a source that Williams was scheduled to face Morrison next month when he returns to action at Firelake Arena in Shawnee. However, promoter Tony Holden confirmed what WBN initially reported, namely that Williams had been offered for the fight.

BoxRec also briefly placed Williams within Morrison’s record on November 9, before removing the former British champion. Williams famously knocked out Mike Tyson in 2004, but has since lived off his victory despite losing his British license more than a decade ago.

Holden, who represents Morrison and is looking for an opponent for the competition in three weeks, explained the situation exclusively to WBN.

“I never confirmed William’s story and I never considered him,” Holden said. “I said no when a local promoter suggested it.”

Williams, 51, last fought in August 202, losing for the 33rd time in his career. With 88 professional fights under his belt, Williams seems unable to turn down a payday despite his advanced age.

Morrison, a power puncher who has stopped 19 of his 21 wins, will look for his next conquest elsewhere. The fight with Mike Balogun remains on the table for 2025 after it was postponed from its original October date.

Balogun, who knocked out Kenzi’s brother Trey in the first round, claimed Morrison was pulled from the fight to spare him the loss.

Holden denies this view.

“Even though this post isn’t up to my standards, I’m going to write it anyway. Mike Balogun falsely claimed that I pulled Kenzie Morrison out of the fight because I was afraid he would lose. Please allow me to correct you, Mr. Balogun,” he stated.

“The decision was not made by Kenzie. Let’s raise the stakes and make it fascinating. If you emerge victorious this month, Kenzie will fight in November.

“We may decide this early next year. If your confidence remains unshaken, we can place a significant bet. Watch Kenzie take revenge on her brother and end your career.

Balogun, a former San Francisco 49ers linebacker, responded to Holden by increasing his salary for a potential collision next year.

“No matter how fair and honorable your decision was, just remember that ‘yesterday’s price is not today’s price,’” said the 2010 undrafted pick.

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Andrew Moloney is confident that if given the chance, he would have beaten Phumelele Cafu and Kosei Tanaka

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Andrew Moloney (left) attacks Pedro Guevara – photo: Mikey Williams/Top Rank

Few people were more disappointed than Andrew Moloney when Kosei Tanaka lost his WBO super flyweight belt to Phumelele Cafu at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan on Monday night.

The 33-year-old Australian veteran was hoping to get a shot at beating Tanaka in the lucrative Japanese market.

Those dreams were dashed when South Africa’s Cafu delivered the performance of his life, knocking out Tanaka in the fifth round and finishing the fight strongly, beating the four-weight world champion by split decision.

“The plan was to target the WBO and really chase the Tanaka fight, but it all fell apart on Monday night,” Moloney (26-4-1NC, 16 KO) told The Ring. “I think the WBO is probably still the direction we go, but I’m not sure if they have a rematch clause or if Tanaka will take it. But after watching the fight yesterday, I would be really confident that I could fight one of these guys and win. We would like to follow this path.

“I would love to fight Tanaka in Japan as a four-division world champion. He’s definitely someone I’ve looked up to and wanted to fight for a long time.

“Last night was a little hard to watch. The way he performed, I’m more confident than ever that I have what it takes to beat Tanaka.

I assume there will be a rematch and I hope that Tanaka will regain the belt and I will be able to return to the ring and climb the rankings, and maybe this fight will still happen.

Tanaka entered Moloney’s orbit four years ago when he debuted at 115 pounds. Earlier this year, it looked like they were also on a collision course, with Moloney being number one in the WBO rankings. However, when an offer was made for the vacant IBF lightweight title fight between Vasily Lomachenko and George Kambosos Jr. in May in Perth, Western Australia, Moloney felt he couldn’t turn her down.

This decision ended in disaster. Moloney faced Carlos Cuadras, who withdrew from the fight with a ruptured Achilles tendon and was replaced by Pedro Guevara. Moloney entered the fight with a torn bicep and was largely reduced to boxing with one hand, which circumscribed his punching power.

Still, Moloney felt he did more than enough to win, and was shocked when Guevara was declared the winner by split decision. He was so disappointed that he announced immediately after the fight that he was leaving the ring, but a few days later he withdrew these comments.

It was a breakthrough moment in his career.

“Looking back, it’s a wonderful thing, but watching the Tanaka-Cafu fight made me think that maybe I would do a lot of things if I could turn back time a little bit,” Moloney explained.

“Before my last fight, I was number one in the WBO rankings and I rejected the option of waiting to fight Tanaka. But the opportunity arose to fight Guevara in Australia for the interim WBC title on a major card, and to be candid, I kind of regretted that the Tanaka fight was hanging in the balance, but ultimately we decided to stay busy and take the opportunity to fight in Australia.

“Also, the injury before the fight was another thing I thought about: will I undergo surgery, keep the top spot and wait for Tanaka, but I made the decision to go ahead with the fight with Guevara. Looking back now, maybe it wasn’t the smartest thing to do. And looking at the way Tanaka fought last night, I thought maybe I should have waited. I’m sure I could beat Tanaka and take the belt away from him.

“So I take some consolation, but unfortunately you can’t turn back time.”

It’s been a frustrating year for Moloney, but he’s still hitting the gym and his team is working to get him another fight. The window of opportunity to box again this year is closing quickly, but he still hopes to return to the ring in December, most likely in his native Australia.

“I really hope so,” he said. “That’s what I’ve been working on. I have been training strenuous at the gym for some time, quite a few months. I hope to return before the end of the year.

“At this stage it will probably be December. I’m trying to block something, but so far no luck. I’m still training away as if the fight was to take place in December, the team is currently working on it and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that we’ll be able to finish it.

“I just hope we can get out before the end of the year, get back into the winner’s circle and start climbing the rankings again.”

Moloney, who fought at bantamweight for the first three years of his professional career before dropping down to super flyweight, surprisingly, said he would even consider moving up to another weight class given the right opportunity.

“It’s a tough time in the super flyweight division,” said Moloney, the eighth challenger to The Ring’s 115-pound title. “There’s a lot going on and it’s always strenuous to plan which route to take because everything changes so quickly. I’d pick Bam Rodriguez to beat Guevara, then there’s talk of a rematch between Kazuto Ioka and Fernando Martinez on Up-to-date Year’s Eve. And then there’s talk of Bama, if they win, fighting the winner of that game in unification. The WBO seems to me the fastest way to win the title, so that’s the path we will follow.

“We have also rejected for some time the idea of ​​moving up to flyweight and getting crack there. There’s also some engaging scene going on there right now, but it’s still uncertain. I’d probably feel a little better at super flyweight, but we’ll have to wait and see what happens with Cafu and Tanaka, but like I said, I’d feel comfortable and confident against either of them, so hopefully he can make it it will happen sooner rather than later.”

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Doubts that fuel 19-year-old Benjamin Johnson

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Despite an impressive amateur resume, welterweight Benjamin Johnson of Springdale, Maryland, enters the professional ring with a shoulder injury.

Johnson will face Kevin Pantoja in a four-round fight at Rosecroft Raceway in Fort Washington, Maryland, promoted by his trainer Lamont Roach Snr’s NoXcuses Promotions. The fight will be broadcast on Saturday on ProBox TV.

Johnson, 1-0 (1 KO), spent just 2:23 in the ring in his professional debut, displaying the quick, aggressive hands that won him multiple national titles. However, 19-year-old Johnson feels an advantage, believing he is being overlooked by his NoXcuses Boxing Gym teammates.

Pantoja, 1-1, 27, has never stopped being a professional – Johnson aims to change that.

“People underestimate me,” Johnson said. “It’s been like that since I was an amateur.”

He added that this underestimation increases his motivation in the gym. Johnson is determined to prove his worth not only to himself, but also to those who doubt him or, worse, don’t recognize him. “I never felt like I was recognized as that guy, so I feel like I’m underappreciated,” Johnson said of his amateur and now professional career.

Johnson sees the fight as a key step in his career, compared to feared forward David Benavidez by some teammates and touted by others as one of the most ready-to-fight prospects in the country.

“I train as much as I can,” Johnson said. “It’s about making a statement. The way you win shows people what you’re capable of, and I’m ready to show my best.

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