Gemma Richardson: The Olympia Audition

Gemma Richardson: The Olympia Audition

Gemma Richardson had to find the love for her craft again. Harshly treated at the end of her amateur career. An Olympic dream so cruelly taken away from her. Decisions made with no thought of empathy or previous loyalty. The search for a precious Olympic medal overriding any thoughts of the human touch.

It hit Richardson hard. Incredibly hard. Sometimes the brutal sport can show even more brutality outside of the ring. The harshness and cold reality that boxing is nothing but a cold, calculated business. Make no mistake, Richardson was a victim of her sport.

Thankfully, after a period of reflection, the 24-year-old super-lightweight prospect found that love again. A decision that cost her so much, but it wouldn’t cost her everything.

Richardson left the amateur ranks behind and turned professional last year. Two fights. Two wins. A few little signs of what is to come further down the line. An elite amateur who has the look of a fighter who can reach the very top of her sport.

It is that potential that perhaps has seen her receive the call for the big show. Jake Paul is bringing his Most Valuable Promotions to UK soil for the first time this weekend. An all-female main card that will be broadcast on ESPN and Sky Sports, and Richardson will be part of the preliminary section of the card.

In just her third professional fight, Richardson will fight Johana Rajmont at the Olympia in London on Easter Sunday. A golden opportunity to convince Paul that she is worthy of a permanent position on that ever-increasing MVP stable of elite female talent. A great Olympia audition, you might say.

It’s a full circle moment for a fighter who nearly had all the love for her craft sucked out of her not so long ago. But Richardson is back. Happy and determined to make her point. What’s gone has gone. But her future is incredibly bright. A crowd-pleasing style that is perfect for the professional ranks. A potential star. A future world champion. Richardson could be both. Make no mistake, the 24-year-old super-lightweight has that kind of potential.

Gemma Richardson might be some way down the card. An early slot before the bright lights of that star-studded main card. But don’t be surprised if Richardson puts on a performance that seals her place in that illustrious stable of elite female talent.