Gemma Richardson: “I feel like it’s a fresh start with new goals and a new meaning.”

Gemma Richardson: “I feel like it’s a fresh start with new goals and a new meaning.”

“I can’t wait to just get back in the ring now and be back in the mix of things,” Gemma Richardson says of her professional debut this weekend in Bolton.

Richardson makes her return to the ring after a beyond-difficult 2024. Her Olympic dreams were crushed in controversial circumstances. The decision to select Amy Broadhurst for the final Olympic qualifier has been covered in full numerous times on this platform. The details of that decision we don’t need to go over again, but it left Richardson questioning many things. But once her thoughts settled down and time allowed a fresh perspective, it opened the door for a new beginning.

It was apparent that her amateur days were over long before a final decision was announced. The bitterness of the Broadhurst saga left her with nowhere else to go but to turn professional.

“I feel like it’s a fresh start with new goals and a new meaning,” Richardson told FightPost. “As soon as that bell goes that’s the start of a fresh chapter. My love definitely returned for the sport for sure, which I haven’t had for a while now. So it’s a nice feeling to have it back.”

The contrast between the two codes is obvious. The regimented GB set up in Sheffield with multiple fighters fighting for attention in comparison to the more personal touch of a much smaller professional gym. Richardson is enjoying her new environment. “Training is different as there’s not as many boxers that need the attention. There’s only a handful of us in the pro stable, so we definitely get more one-to-one time, which is nice to practice and learn, and then it’s a good laugh with the lads as well.”

Gemma Richardson has found that love again. A new chapter begins on Saturday night. World titles are the obvious aim. However, in the short term, activity is key. Steve Wood and his VIP Promotions should guarantee Richardson that. “We are hoping for as many bouts as possible in a year,” Richardson says of what she wants out of 2025. “I’d like to be as active as I can and to get the rounds and bouts under me for the experience. We want to push on as quickly as we can.”

After what Gemma Richardson went through last year, a situation that could and should have been handled better, perhaps the understatement of any year, it’s difficult not to feel empathy for her. But Richardson has now moved on. Saturday night could be the start of something very special indeed.