Boxing is an international sport, a fact driven home to many Americans by the dominance of a pair of Ukrainian brothers over the heavyweight division. Half of the fighters in the Super Six are from Europe, and one of boxing’s two biggest stars is a Filipino. While it is more common for foreign boxers to remain amateurs and return to the Olympics, rather than turn pro after a single Olympic outing, it is still a good idea to keep an eye on international Olympic medal winners for boxing prospects. Some of the men who won medals in Beijing are well on their way to world championships. Here is a look at what has happened to the best of the international crop of Beijing’s Olympic boxers:
Eli Augustana: This boxer fought for Haiti, but is now an American citizen, living in Hollywood, FL and following in the footsteps of other Haitian-Americans like Andre Berto. He turned pro in November 2008 and campaigns as a middleweight.
James Degale: A southpaw from Hammersmith, London won middleweight gold at Beijing and now works with British promoter Frank Warren,. He has a record of 7-0 with 5 KOs, and captured the WBA’s International Super Middleweight Title in May 2010. While essentially a meaningless “training belt,” it foreshadows a possible shot at either the real WBA champion Andre Ward after the Super Six tournament is over, or the fake “interim” champion Dimitri Sartison late next year.
Tony Jeffries: Britain’s light heavyweight bronze medal winner is working with promoter Frank Maloney, and has a 7-0 record with 5 KOs.
Matt Korobov: This Russian did not win a medal in Beijing, but his awesome talents still earned him a contract with Bob Arum. The southpaw middleweight moved to St. Petersburg, FL and now owns an 11-0, 8 KOs record.
Vasyl Lomachenko: This Ukrainian was one of the stand-outs of the Beijing Olympics, winning the gold medal at featherweight and the Val Barker Trophy, an award given to the outstanding boxer of the Games. Rumor had it that he had signed a contract with K-2 Promotions, but it is now confirmed that Lomachenko will return to the 2012 Olympics.
David Price: Britain’s up-and-coming heavyweight sensation stands 6’8″ and won bronze in the Super Heavyweight category. He is 6-0, 4 KOs. The only other noteworthy heavyweight to turn pro from the 2008 Olympics was American Deontay Wilder, who won bronze at heavyweight. One can only imagine what a clash taking place a couple of years from now between these two giants might look like – the first great heavyweight fight of the post-Klitschko era?
Bastie Samir: This fighter from Ghana followed his Olympic appearance by moving to Las Vegas and turning pro, earning a 3-0, 3 KOs record in 2008. However, his career appears to have stalled since then, since he has not had a professional fight since December 2008.
Darren Sutherland: This Irish middleweight lost to Degale in the semi-finals and brought home a bronze. That was still enough to earn him what looked like a bright future, and he signed a contract with Frank Maloney. However, on September 14, 2009 Sutherland was found dead in his London apartment, and his death has been ruled as a suicide.
