Football
  • Home
  • News
  • Class Of : Where Are Team GB'S Olympic Boxing Heroes Now?

Class of 2016: Where are Team GB's Olympic boxing heroes now?

Lawrence Okolie

Nicola Adams, Joe Joyce and Lawrence Okolie are just some of the stars who represented Team GB at the 2016 Olympics.

The Olympic Games has kicked off in Tokyo and there are 10 fighters from Team GB looking to win medals. 

Cheavon Clarke, Luke McCormack and Ben Whittaker are just some of the fighters who are looking to become the new household names in the sport.
London 2012 was a major success story for British boxing. Anthony Joshua and Luke Campbell picked up gold medals in front of a home crowd. 

As a result, the 2016 team brought with it plenty of hype and anticipation. They went on to win three medals in total, including one gold, one silver and one bronze.
Who wrote themselves in Olympic history, and where are they now? 

Joe Joyce: Silver (super heavyweight)

Joe Joyce aimed to emulate world champion Anthony Joshua by winning Olympic gold in the super heavyweight division. He reached the final in Rio but ultimately lost to France's Tony Yoka via split-decision.

Joyce turned pro in July 2017 and has since made a name for himself in the heavyweight division. He's amassed a record of 12-0 (11 KOs), with his most recent win being an impressive knockout victory over promising fighter Daniel Dubois.

The 'Juggernaut' displayed his brutal power during the British clash, with the win keeping him in line for a world title shot in the future.

Nicola Adams: Gold (flyweight)

Nicola Adams became the first British boxer to retain an Olympic title in 92 years when she won flyweight gold in Rio.

The Leeds-born fighter added a 2016 gold medal to the one she won in London four years earlier.

She turned professional in January 2017 and signed with promoter Frank Warren.

'The Lioness' went on to record five straight wins before defending her WBO flyweight title against Maria Salinas in September 2019.

The fight ended in a draw, with Adams retiring two months later over fears that she could lose her sight. The 38-year-old remains a pioneer for female boxing in Britain, having won the hearts of the country during her Olympic successes.

Lawrence Okolie: Round of 16 (heavyweight)

Lawrence Okolie was beaten on points by Cuba's Erislandy Savon in the quarter-finals at the 2016 Olympics.

Okolie became pro in January 2017, signing with Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Boxing as a cruiserweight. The 6ft 5in fighter has also revealed his desire to compete for titles at heavyweight.

He is unbeaten after 15 fights, having won 12 of them via knockout and his most recent fight saw him defeat Krzysztof Glowacki for the vacant WBO title on March 20.

Joshua Buatsi: Bronze (light heavyweight)

Joshua Buatsi won bronze in the light heavyweight class in Rio after losing to Kazakhstan's Adilbek Niyazymbetov in the semi-finals.
He won his pro debut via knockout in just the second round, beating Carlos Mena at the O2 Arena. His record stands at 13-0 (11 KOs) and he's currently ranked as Britain's best light heavyweight.

The 27-year-old will have to beat the likes of Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol if he wants to taste world glory.

Anthony Fowler: Round of 32 (middleweight)

Prior to the Rio Olympics, Anthony Fowler had won bronze at the 2013 World Championships and gold at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

His Olympic dream was ruined in 2016 when he suffered a one-sided defeat in the preliminary rounds. The Liverpudlian recovered from the loss to turn pro in May 2017 as a super welterweight.

He soon racked up a record of 9-0 (8 KOs) before suffering a loss to Scott Fitzgerald in 2019 in his hometown.

Fowler returns on July 31 at Fight Camp and takes on Roberto Garcia.

Josh Kelly: Round of 16 (welterweight)

Known as 'Pretty Boy', Sunderland fighter Josh Kelly fought at welterweight in Rio. He reached the round of 16 after beating Egypt's Walid Mohamed via unanimous decision. He then lost to eventual gold medallist Daniyar Yeleussinov.

Kelly joined up with Okolie and Hearn at Matchroom. He lost his first professional fight to David Avanesyan for the European title and is yet to make an announcement on his return.

Savannah Marshall: Quarter-finals (middleweight)

Savannah Marshall has held the WBO middleweight title since a dominant victory over Hannah Rankin in 2020. She has made one defence of the belt - under Peter Fury - overcoming Maria Lindberg. 

Marshall has been dubbed the 'Silent Assassin' due to her shy nature. Her professional success wasn't reflected in her Olympics performance, however. The 29-year-old lost to Dutch rival Nouchka Fontijn in the quarter-finals.

    More Articles