Monday 15 August 2016 13:30, UK
Joshua Buatsi has been urged to turn professional after the Olympics by former opponent Craig ‘Spider’ Richards.
Light-heavyweight Buatsi has been Great Britain's outstanding boxing representative at Rio 2016, most recently stopping third seed Elshod Rasulov to qualify for the quarter-finals.
Richards lost an amateur bout to Buatsi but, now a 4-0 professional middleweight, has urged his former conqueror to join him in the "very different" paid ranks.
"He'll be looking to turn professional after the Rio Olympics, I would have thought," Richards told Sky Sports.
"It'd be good if he and I were to fight again in the paid ranks so I can avenge my points defeat to him, but it's not one of my primary focuses because he's still an amateur and in a different weight category.
"The amateur game and the professional game are two very different things. It's like the difference between crazy golf and real golf. You see so many successful amateurs that are unable to make it as professionals, but I think Buatsi has the style to make it."
Palmers Boxing Academy's Richards, at 26, is three years older than Buatsi (S. Norwood & Victory) but was far less experienced during a 2014 unanimous decision defeat.
Richards concedes the result was correct but, looking back, is content about his ability to walk through the power that Buatsi is now displaying at the Olympics.
"His power may have improved since he fought me but even back then, he was stopping a lot of other guys," Richards said.
"Maybe I've just got a very good chin! I didn't really notice his power and it was more his experience at the end of the fight.
"He was a Team GB boy and I was a novice amateur but I felt like I could deal with him technically. I was at the stage of my career where I was having to do all my training on the outside myself and you notice the difference when you face someone who's training every day.
"I feel he nicked the fight with his work-rate in the final round of our clash and that's something that comes down to experience. I'd only had a few fights at the time."
Reflecting on Buatsi's latest Olympic knockout, Richards continued: "By the second round, Rasulov was already looking worn down and what Buatsi is good at is punishing his opponents. He's an opportunist."