Ali, Leonard, Joshua and other boxing stars the class of 2021 will look to emulate

Whereas most Olympic sports activities are about elite athletes reaching the top, few are more practical in pointing us in direction of the superstars of tomorrow than boxing.

That’s not to say Olympic gold within the ring can’t be a crowning profession achievement in its personal proper, however making a nationwide squad for the Video games can typically precede a glittering profession within the skilled ranks.

Ukrainian middleweight Oleksandr Khyzhniak, Russian heavyweight Muslim Gadzhimagomedov, Cuban light-welterweight Andy Cruz and British featherweight Peter McGrail are amongst these hoping to take step one on the highway to turning into family names.

Right here, we take a look at a few of the women and men they are going to be seeking to emulate.

Muhammad Ali

Nonetheless often called Cassius Clay, ‘The Biggest’ first showcased his dazzling expertise to the world as an 18-year-old on the Rome Video games in 1960, carving out a sublime path to gold within the light-heavyweight division. Poland’s 1956 bronze medallist and reigning European champion Zbigniew Pietrzykowski offered some issues along with his southpaw model within the last however Ali wouldn’t be denied.

Sugar Ray Leonard

Future rivals Joe Frazier and George Foreman adopted in Ali’s footsteps with heavyweight gold in 1964 and 1968 respectively, however by the point that celebrated heavyweight period was winding down the US had one other golden technology of expertise to get enthusiastic about within the type of their 1976 Olympic squad. The cream of the crop was a light-welterweight Leonard, who dazzled on his approach to gold – not dropping a single spherical after which placing Cuban knockout artist Carlos Aldama on the canvas and forcing a standing eight-count in a shocking last victory.

Lennox Lewis

In a becoming precursor to his skilled profession, Lewis discovered Olympics glory was one thing price ready for. Representing Canada, he misplaced to American Tyrell Biggs on the 1984 video games earlier than returning 4 years later to cease Riddick Bowe within the Seoul 88 super-heavyweight last. Lewis avenged the Biggs loss early in his pro-career and a maiden reign as WBC champion got here when Bowe refused a compulsory defence in opposition to the Briton. Profession-defining wins over Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson to face tall amongst his friends remained one of the best a part of a decade away.

Oscar de la Hoya

De la Hoya captured the hearts of a nation along with his mega-watt smile, making good on his mom’s dying want that he would turn into Olympic champion. The all-action Mexican-American with a devastating left-hook noticed off Germany’s Marco Rudolph within the light-weight last at Barcelona 92. The ‘Golden Boy’ moniker that may dominate the game within the ring and – extra considerably – in a industrial sense for a piece of the fashionable period was born and De La Hoya went on to win skilled world titles in six weight courses.

Floyd Mayweather Jr.

For these hopefuls who depart Tokyo with out gold, there are many examples of elite fighters who went on to unbelievable success with out Olympic glory. None extra so than all-time nice Mayweather, who needed to accept bronze at Atlanta 96 after a controversial factors loss to Serafim Todorov. After 50 skilled fights and 26 unblemished world title contests throughout 5 weight divisions, the unheralded Bulgarian Todorov – who had a short 6-1 professional profession – stays the final man to beat Mayweather in a boxing ring.

Andre Ward

One other US stylist who went his total skilled profession with out ever tasting defeat, Ward truly managed to go one higher than Mayweather earlier than dominating at super-middleweight and light-heavyweight. On the Athens 2004 Video games, the Californian outpointed Magomed Aripgadjiev of Belarus to assert light-heavyweight gold.

Vasyl Lomachenko

Ukrainian grasp Lomachenko boxed for a world title in his second skilled combat and shortly turned certainly one of boxing’s main pound-for-pound stars. That unprecedented progress by the paid ranks makes slightly extra sense when you think about his totally absurd novice document of 396 wins and one defeat. It wasn’t actually as if anybody in both the featherweight division at Beijing 2008 or at light-weight throughout London 2012 stood an excessive amount of of an opportunity as Lomachenko swept to consecutive golds.

Anthony Joshua

Packed crowds roaring Joshua on to glory are a long-established theme of his two reigns as unified heavyweight champion. Joshua first felt the thrilling weight of a nation behind him when he snuck previous reigning Olympic champion and two-time super-heavyweight champion Italian Roberto Cammarelle on countback on the ExCel Area on the closing weekend of London 2012, having trailed by three factors going into the ultimate spherical.

Katie Taylor

The one combat on the identical degree as Joshua’s gold medal bout – and arguably a degree above – by way of noise at London 2012 was Taylor’s opening conflict in opposition to Nice Britain’s Natasha Jonas, a rivalry they reprised within the professional ranks earlier this 12 months. Each occasions, Taylor in all her whirring majesty was profitable and the Irish icon secured light-weight gold within the English capital. She was a five-time world champion within the amateurs and, regardless that she couldn’t go back-to-back in Rio, she then turned over and set about redefining ladies’s boxing once more as a two-weight world champion.

Claressa Shields

Taylor has indisputably blazed a path for feminine boxers and it’s one the stylish and cocky Shields has ebulliently adopted. Victories over Russia’s Nadezda Torlopova at London 2012 and Nouchka Fontijn of the Netherlands at Rio 2016 gave the American back-to-back middleweight golds. She turned an undisputed middleweight champion within the professionals with a unanimous determination win over the nice Christina Hammer in April 2019, earlier than dropping all the way down to do likewise at super-welterweight versus Marie Eve Dicaire earlier this 12 months.