Lewis Richardson to pursue next stage of professional career with GB Boxing as part of Podium2Pro programme
PARIS 2024 Olympic bronze medallist Lewis Richardson has joined GB Boxing’s Podium2Pro programme and will be coached and managed by GB Boxing in the next stage of his career as a professional boxer.
He will train at GB Boxing’s performance centre at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield, alongside boxers from the Olympic programme and will be trained and cornered in his professional contests by GB Boxing coaches including Rob McCracken and Gary Hale, among others.
Richardson is the first male boxer to join Podium2Pro which was set-up to provide a pathway into professional boxing for former squad members that want to remain in the GB Boxing environment.
The other boxer that is currently part of Podium2Pro is Tokyo 2020 gold medallist and unified welterweight world champion, Lauren Price.
Tokyo bronze medallist and inaugural British featherweight champion, Karriss Artingstall was also part of Podium2Pro up until last month when she announced her retirement from the sport.
After winning a bronze medal at light-middleweight (M71kg) at Paris 2024, Richardson signed a professional contract with Queensbury Promotions in May 2025 and enjoyed six round points victories in his first two contests in June and August 2025.
A bicep tendon injury picked up in training at the end of 2025 required surgery and after a successful period of rehabilitation Richardson made the decision to return to GB Boxing as a Podium2Pro boxer to prepare for his next outing on 26 September 20026 at the BP Pulse Live, Birmingham.
Richardson explained: “Following the Olympics and the decision to turn professional, I wanted to try a few different things. Having had that opportunity, I am confident that this is the best environment for me to develop and push my career further as a professional and gives me gives me an opportunity to work with top-class coaches and performance staff that I have enjoyed success with in the past.
“I spent a long time on the World Class Programme (WCP), from being an academy boxer through to becoming an Olympic medallist, so I know the environment and what it can offer. Having explored my options elsewhere, I really appreciate what we have here and I’m excited to be back.”
GB Boxing’s Performance Director, Rob McCracken, added: “Podium2Pro was set-up to provide a pathway that enables boxers to work with GB Boxing coaches and staff at every stage of their career, from the Olympic programme into the professional ranks, so we are very happy that Lewis has chosen to pursue the next stage of his career at GB Boxing.
“We know from our experience working with Lauren and Karriss that having top quality professionals in the gym delivers benefits for everyone. Having some of our most successful Olympians continue to train in the GB Boxing gym provides world class sparring for the boxers in our squad and enables them to work and train with positive, inspirational role models that have achieved Olympic success.
“At the same time, the professionals get to continue working with staff they know and trust, while benefiting from the training environment and facilities of the World Class Programme (WCP), so it delivers benefits for everyone.”
Podium2Pro was established in 2022 in response to requests from boxers that wanted to remain within the GB Boxing environment after signing professional contracts. Under the arrangement, professional boxers continue to train with the Olympic programme in Sheffield where they are coached and managed by GB Boxing in return for a percentage of their earnings.
Richardson added: “Going and training elsewhere has certainly made me appreciate the level of quality and everything this programme has to offer, from the state-of-the-art facilities and support staff to the team environment. When I stepped away, training could feel quite lonely, whereas now I’ve got 10, 20, 30 other people around me doing the same thing. It doesn’t make the work easy, but it makes it a little bit easier.”