Tokyo 2020 was a huge success and delivered another particularly gripping boxing schedule, but the 2016 Rio Olympics is the Games that is starting to make an impact in the professional game, five years on.
This Saturday, Joshua Buatsi steps back into the ring at Fight Camp 2 as his quest to become a world champion continues. He is one of many Rio competitors to be making serious waves as a pro right now.
Ahead of his bout against Ricards Bolotniks, DAZN looks at the fighters from 2016 who've made a big impression thus far.
Shakur Stevenson
A silver medallist in Rio after a heart-breaking loss to Robeisy Ramirez in a stunning featherweight final, Shakur Stevenson wasted no time in focusing his intentions on the professional code. Signing with Top Rank, the Newark youngster put his faith in the promotional group who had took many fighters from the Olympics to professional glory.
Since punching for pay at the start of 2017, Stevenson hasn’t put a foot wrong. His apprenticeship was routine and when the time arrived to compete for the big prizes, Stevenson passed the test admirably. He won the WBO featherweight crown in fight 13 against Joet Gonzalez and he’s currently in talks to face Jamel Herring as he hopes to become a two-weight world champion.
Claressa Shields
After winning gold in London in 2012, Flint’s Claressa Shields made it an Olympic double four years later as she eased to her second top prize in Brazil. Months after the Rio games finished, Shields was having her first professional fight. The following year, she was world champion.
Shields’ amateur success has easily been replicated in the pro game as she’s become undisputed champion in two weight categories. Annoyed with the pay available to female fighters, Shields switched to MMA earlier this year and she plans on competing in both sports for the time being as she grows her legacy with each fight.
Joe Joyce
Unfortunate not to receive a gold medal in Rio following a controversial loss to Tony Yoka, Joe Joyce quicky put the misery behind him by embarking on a new adventure. Satisfied that his amateur experience would enable to compete at a respectable level from the outset of his pro journey, Joyce has been matched tough since day one.
In 2020, Joyce faced the toughest test of his short career as he tackled the heavy-handed Daniel Dubois. Joyce’s amateur experience was evident throughout the contest as he showed brilliant patience to grind down Dubis with the jab before forcing a stoppage. The London heavyweight is now mandatory for the winner of Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk and he’ll be confident of causing another upset.
Katie Taylor
Katie Taylor’s shock exit at the quarter final stage to Mira Potkonen was a disappointing end to what had been a remarkable amateur career. After winning all there was to win when representing her beloved Ireland, Taylor set her sights on securing pro success as she signed a promotional deal with Eddie Hearn. Since that moment, Taylor has tasted only victory.
A world champion in fight number seven when defeating Anahi Sanchez, Taylor has used that win to push her to further titles. There have been hard nights, most notably against Delfine Persoon and Natasha Jonas, but Taylor’s professional success ensures that she’s one of the brightest stars to emerge from the Rio Olympics.
Michael Conlan
Expected to perform well in Rio due to his wealth of experience in major tournament, Michael Conlan didn’t even pick up a medal following a controversial loss to Vladimir Nikitin. Conlan’s disgust at the decision saw him make a middle finger gesture to the judges, but despite the early loss, Conlan was very much in demand.
After signing with Top Rank, Conlan has become a huge attraction in both Belfast and New York, and his performances to date have seen him close in on a world title shot. Flirting between super-bantamweight and featherweight, Conlan has plenty of options in front of him and when he does finally compete for the sport’s biggest prize, it’ll be in front of a huge crowd.
Will Buatsi continue his run on Saturday? Watch Matchroom Fight Camp 2, night three live on DAZN worldwide except Australia and New Zealand.