Lewis Richardson determined to reach even greater heights after Paris bronze

Boxing 25 Oct 24

Olympic bronze medallist Lewis Richardson has promised that there's still more in the tank after the 'best year of his life'.

The 27-year-old was the sole Team GB boxer to step out of the ring with a medal this summer, securing bronze by reaching the semi-finals of the men's 71kg light middleweight category at Roland-Garros.

Richardson beat Jordan's Zeyad Eashash in a 3-2 victory to reach the final four but missed out on the chance to fight for gold, falling instead to Mexico's Marco Verde Alvarez in a 3-2 split decision semi-final.

With a bronze medal around his neck now cementing him in British Olympic boxing history, Richardson revealed that this is only the beginning of what he hopes to be a glittering sporting career.

"It has been without doubt the best year of my life to be honest," he said. "I'm confident this won't be the last you hear of Lewis Richardson.

"Winning that medal was a special achievement and moment that will last forever.

"I'm super proud and super grateful. It's such a small percentage of people who become Olympians let alone go on to win an Olympic medal. That's an even more exclusive club.

"Boxing at Roland-Garros for the Olympics will go down in history for me."

Richardson's boxing journey began as a means to keep fit while playing football alongside his friends but switched his full attention to the ring after winning the 2012 National School Championships.

With his grit and determination, the Colchester native has seen nothing but success, including middleweight silver at the 2022 European Championships and Birmingham Commonwealth Games bronze.

"I walked into a boxing gym alongside 12 of my mates from the local council estate," he said.

"The gym was within walking distance and I headed down to gain a little bit of extra fitness for football.

"One by one and session after session, each and every one of my mates dropped out until there was just me. I stuck at it and the rest is history."

Richardson felt a pressure that few others were subject to at his maiden Games.

The final boxer to go for Team GB, Richardson knew that the hopes of a boxing medal for Britain all came down to him after narrow split decisions saw the rest of the squad unable to reach the podium.

But having already perfected his mental and physical game when it comes to taking it one bout at a time, the middleweight boxer was able to get the work done and soar to a brilliant bronze in Paris.

A bronze that he believes is worth it's weight in gold for the power of British boxing.

"It was difficult because I was the last boxer to go out of Team GB for these Games," he said.

"Unfortunately the others lost on very close split decisions so there was a little bit of added pressure for me in my first bout.

"There's a psychological side of things then as well as physical. It's about riding those emotions and adrenaline.

"You need to make sure you can enjoy that moment and enjoy the process.

"But then you need to flip it back to being professional, making sure you're doing your recovery and making weight again to be ready for the next bout.

"So to secure an Olympic medal was such a special moment for the whole team."

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