Reviewing the Progress of Great Britain's Boxers from the 2008 Olympics
A tally of one gold and two bronze medals made the 2008 Olympics the most successful Games for Great Britain's boxing team since 1956.
James DeGale returned from Beijing, China, as a national hero after his triumph in the middleweight division.
DeGale has enjoyed further success in the paid ranks, but fellow medallists Tony Jeffries and David Price have had mixed fortunes since stepping down from the podium.
And what of the rest of the squad? All eight who competed in Beijing had turned professional before the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
With 2016 being an Olympic year, Bleacher Report decided to review the progress (in alphabetical order) of the fighters who competed for Team GB eight years ago.
James DeGale
1 of 8
Professional record: 22-1 (14 KOs)
James DeGale created boxing history in 2015 when he became the first British fighter to win both an Olympic gold medal as an amateur and also a world title as a professional.
Chunky—who holds the IBF super middleweight belt—is a slick southpaw whose accuracy and hand speed has helped make his transition into the paid ranks a smooth one.
The only blemish on his record came at the hands of George Groves, back in May 2011.
However, while his rival has since had three failed attempts to claim a world title, DeGale has risen all the way to the top.
Having signed up with American promoter Al Haymon, DeGale has his sights set on maximising his earning potential by fighting on both sides of the Atlantic.
He told Nik Simon of the Daily Mail: "They say only four per cent of boxers retire and don’t have to work. I want to be part of that four per cent. I want to get the Maserati and make the millions."
Frankie Gavin
2 of 8
Professional record: 22-2 (13 KOs)
Frankie Gavin was part of Great Britain's Olympic squad in 2008—but never actually threw a punch at the Games.
Having made history by becoming England's first world champion at the 2007 World Amateur Boxing Championships, the Birmingham boxer failed to make the lightweight limit to compete in Beijing.
Southpaw Gavin turned pro at the start of 2009.
He became British and Commonwealth champion at lightweight, but he missed out on the European title when losing to Leonard Bundu in 2014.
An earlier-than-expected shot at the world title in May 2015 saw Funtime Frankie beaten by fellow Englishman and IBF champion Kell Brook.
Gavin hasn't been seen since. A foot injury scuppered a fight against fellow Birmingham boxer, Sam Eggington, and the 30-year-old is in need of a big 2016 to kick-start his career.
Tony Jeffries
3 of 8
Professional record: 9-0-1 (6 KOs)
Tony Jeffries won a bronze medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in the light heavyweight division.
The Englishman signed his first professional contract during half-time of a football game at Sunderland, Jeffries' local team.
However, by September 2012, his career in the paid ranks was over.
Despite having early success in the ring, Jeffries struggled badly with injuries. Issues with both of his hands—including a hole in a knuckle—led to him announcing his retirement.
Jeffries admitted to Boxing News And Views in an interview in 2015: "I was devastated, my world crumbled. I got fat and depressed, it was a dark time in my life. I didn’t know what to do, I had nothing to fall back on, I left school with nothing and back then I thought because of that I was stuck."
However, a move Los Angeles started a new chapter in his life.
He now co-owns two gyms and has turned his hand to acting. Throw in a bit of modelling work and a stint training now-retired UFC fighter Brendan Schaub, it's clear to see Jeffries has kept himself busy.
Joe Murray
4 of 8
Professional record: 15-2
Joe Murray's Olympic adventure didn't last long—the bantamweight was beaten by China's Gu Yu in the opening round in Beijing.
It was a disappointing end to Murray's amateur career, particularly after he had won a bronze medal at the 2007 World Amateur Championships.
He turned pro early in 2009 and fought seven times in his first full year in the paid ranks.
However, Murray's opportunities have been limited since then. Despite being fit and prepared to fight anyone, Genius has struggled to find opponents willing to face him.
He told Sam Corbishley of Boxing News in 2015: "Like I’ve said in the past, I wish I’d never turned pro. I’ve had 16 fights in six years, whereas I had 24 fights as an amateur in one year. I’m a boxer who likes to stay busy, I’m a boxer who likes to keep fighting. I’m a boxing man and I want to go out and fight."
Murray's only career defeats have come at the hands of Liam Walsh, who retained his Commonwealth and WBO International titles with a points victory in their first meeting in 2013.
The rematch, in February 2015, saw Walsh put the British and Commonwealth belts on the line. He made sure the judges were not required, knocking Murray out in Round 5.
David Price
5 of 8
Professional record: 19-3 (16 KOs)
Super heavyweight David Price returned home from Beijing with a bronze medal and a growing reputation.
The 6′8″ boxer from Liverpool, England, was heralded as a real prospect when he entered the professional ranks early in 2009.
His early progress only raised those expectations. Price won his first 15 fights on the spin, becoming the British and Commonwealth champion at heavyweight in the process.
However, his predicted path to the top hit a roadblock by the name of Tony Thompson.
Despite having home advantage, Price twice lost to the experienced American. Worryingly, he was stopped on both occasions, leading to concerns about his ability to take a punch.
Price went abroad to rebuild his career, reeling off four straight wins to earn a shot at the European belt.
Although he was knocked out by Erkan Teper in July 2015, his opponent has since received a two-year ban after failing a drugs test. The result has been changed to a no-contest by the German Boxing Federation, though the European Boxing Union believe it should still stand, per BoxRec.com.
Price's future in the ring was questioned, though promoter Kalle Sauerland told Richard Damerell of Sky Sports his client will continue fighting: "I hope that this can be a positive turn. The sporting side, I know he's looking at putting together his team at the moment."
Billy Joe Saunders
6 of 8
Professional record: 23-0 (12 KOs)
Welterweight Billy Joe Saunders only made it as far as the second round in Beijing.
Still, Saunders was just 18 when he lost to Cuban Carlos Banteux, who went on to lose in the final, at the Olympic Games.
He admitted to Declan Taylor of MailOnline in 2015 that his early exit in China has spurred him on as a pro: "I know I can't come out of that ring a failure. I failed on the big stage, at the Olympic Games, and I think about it all the time."
The southpaw became the second member of Team GB's 2008 squad to win a world title in December 2015.
Saunders' majority-decision win over Irishman Andy Lee saw him become the new WBO middleweight champion in Manchester, England.
The 26-year-old had already won the British, Commonwealth and European belts, but victory over Lee has catapulted Saunders into the big time.
He spoke in the aftermath of his victory over Lee about his "dream" of fighting Miguel Cotto, per Kevin Mitchell of the Guardian.
However, he has since received an offer for a unification bout against Gennady Golovkin. Saunders admitted to Matt Horan of World Boxing News he would like home advantage against the Kazakh.
Bradley Saunders
7 of 8
Professional record: 12-1 (9 KOs)
Bradley Saunders reached the last 16 at the Olympic Games, losing to Frenchman Alexis Vastine in the light welterweight category.
Unlike many of his British team-mates, Saunders opted to continue in the amateur ranks when he returned home from Beijing.
He missed out on the 2009 World Championships due to a hand injury, but he picked up a silver medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India.
Saunders turned pro before the London Olympics, making his debut on February 2012.
His unbeaten record came to an end in his 13th bout, as he was disqualified for butting Renald Garrido in an eight-round contest in September 2015.
The defeat was a painful one for the super lightweight—he broke both of his hands before being disqualified, raising doubts about his career.
Retirement seemed to be the next obvious step. However, Saunders has been given hope by a specially designed pair of gloves, as he explained to Simon Crawford of SportingLife.com.
Hopefully, a change of equipment will make sure he doesn't join former team-mate Tony Jeffries in being forced to hang up his gloves early.
Khalid Yafai
8 of 8
Professional record: 17-0 (11 KOs)
Khalid Yafai was knocked out of the 2008 Olympics by Cuban veteran Andry Laffita in the second round of the flyweight competition.
It was actually Yafai's first outing at the Games in Beijing, as he had been given a bye in the opening round.
He carried on as an amateur right through to November 2011, when his hopes of fighting at the 2012 Olympics in London were dashed by Welshman Andrew Selby.
The pair both qualified at flyweight, but Selby secured his place when winning a "box-off" between the pair at the 2011 British Championships.
Yafai, who hails from Birmingham, England, made his pro debut in July 2012. He took to life in the paid ranks like a duck to water, reeling off six wins before the year was out.
Despite a spell out of action due to a bicep injury, Yafai has picked up the British and Commonwealth titles at super flyweight in his career so far.
Kal will hope to follow in the footsteps of former team-mates James DeGale and Billy Joe Saunders by becoming a world champion.
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