Time for Olympic boxers to weigh up the pros and cons

Not all the Olympic winners in the boxing ring will become major world champions in the professional ring. Not all of them will try.

- STEVE BUNCE

Many will start preparing for either retirement, like Dublin’s Kellie Harrington, or the next Olympics in Los Angeles in four years. We will know about LA by next summer. There are some, however, with a clear path and vision and before the torch went out late on Sunday night, they had already started their pilgrimage to the paid ranks.

When Bakhodir Jalolov retired his boxing vest, placing it tenderly on the canvas at the end of his final, it was a clear sign that he would now concentrate on winning the world heavyweight title. Jalolov is 30, unbeaten and certainly untested in 14 fights in the professional business; he has not taken a single risk as a pro and only has competitive fights over the three-round distance at the world championships and the Olympics. Has he left it too late, and can he adjust to the longer distances?