Not every Olympic gold medalist found success in professional boxing. And not every successful pro boxer had to win Olympic gold to have great careers.
Here are 11 boxers who fell short of Olympic glory yet had great pro careers, listed in alphabetical order.
Riddick Bowe
Olympics: Won the silver medal at the 1988 Games in Seoul, South Korea
Pro Career: Bowe, a 6-5 powerhouse, bested previously undefeated Evander Holyfield in 1992 to win the undisputed WBA, WBC and IBF titles; however, he was stripped of the WBC title later that year when he refused to fight Lennox Lewis, who defeated him in the final of the 1988 Olympics. Bowe’s only professional loss came in 1993 against Holyfield, resulting in the loss of his WBA and IBF titles. He finished with a career record of 45-1 (one no contest) and 33 wins by knockout.
Michael Carbajal
Olympics: Won the silver medal at the 1988 Games in Seoul, South Korea
Pro Career: Carbajal turned pro in 1989 after earning the silver medal the year prior. He defeated Will Grigsby, a future junior flyweight champion, in his debut and didn’t lose for almost five years. He earned the IBF junior flyweight title in 1990 by defeating Muangchai Kittikasem. It was only his 15th contest. He later earned the WBO junior flyweight title in 1994. Carbajal retired with a 49-4 record, including 33 wins by knockout.
Virgil Hill
Olympics: Won the silver medal at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles
Pro Career: Often known by his nickname of “Quicksilver,” Hill defeated WBA light heavyweight titleholder Leslie Stewart in 1987 in just his 19th pro bout. He defended the title 10 times before falling to Thomas Hearns in 1991. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2013 with a 50-7 overall record (23 KOs) thanks to incredible hand speed and a quick jab.
Evander Holyfield
Olympics: Won the bronze medal at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles
Pro Career: One of the most decorated professional boxers of all-time, Holyfield compiled a 44-10-2 record (one no contest) over 57 fights. He won 29 times by knockout. He is the only four-time world heavyweight champion, having won titles in 1990, 1993, 1996 and 2000. Known as “The Real Deal,” Holyfield is perhaps most famous for his second bout against Mike Tyson for the WBA heavyweight championship in 1997, which Tyson was disqualified from for biting off part of Holyfield’s ear.
Marvin Johnson
Olympics: Won the bronze medal at the 1972 Games in Munich, Germany
Pro Career: Johnson, nicknamed “Pops,” was a three-time light heavyweight champion in 1978, 1979 and 1986. He was the first fighter to capture a version of the world light heavyweight title three times. Despite losing the final bout of his career to Leslie Stewart in 1987, Johnson still finished with a 43-6 record, including 35 wins by knockout. The southpaw was inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 2008.
Roy Jones Jr.
Olympics: Won the silver medal at the 1988 Games in Seoul, South Korea
Pro Career: Named the “Fighter of the Decade” for the 1990s by the Boxing Writers Association of America, Jones finished his pro career with a 63-9 record and 46 wins by knockout. He is the only boxer in history to begin his career as a junior middleweight and eventually win a heavyweight title. Jones, 47, is a devastating puncher who last fought in March.
Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Olympics: Won the bronze medal at the 1996 Games in Atlanta
Pro Career: Generally talked about as one of the best pound-for-pound boxers of all-time, Mayweather is 49-0 as a pro. “Money” has won 12 world titles and the lineal championship in four weight classes, including twice at welterweight. His most notable wins came in bouts against Manny Pacquiao, Miguel Cotto and Oscar De La Hoya, among others. In 2007, he founded Mayweather Promotions. He is the highest grossing pay-per-view boxer in history.
Antonio Tarver
Olympics: Won the bronze medal at the 1996 Games in Atlanta
Pro Career: Despite never earning gold in the Olympics, Tarver is the first (and only) fighter to have ever won gold medals in the Pan Am Games, World Amateur Championship and U.S. National championship in the same year, which he accomplished in 1995. He compiled a pro record of 21-6 with two no contests and 22 wins by knockout. In 2006, he starred in the film “Rocky Balboa” as the heavyweight champion, Mason “The Line” Dixon.
John Tate
Olympics: Won the bronze medal at the 1976 Games in Montreal
Pro Career: “Big John” Tate became the first WBA heavyweight champion after Muhammad Ali vacated the belt in 1979. Tate decisioned Gerrie Coetzee on Oct. 20, 1979, to win the title. He held it for five months, losing his first defense against Mike Weaver. Tate (34-3) was ahead on the scorecards before getting knocked out in the 15th round. He died in an automobile accident in 1998 at age 43.
Jermain Taylor
Olympics: Won the bronze medal at the 2000 Games in Sydney, Australia
Pro Career: In 2005, Taylor became the last undisputed middleweight champion by unifying the WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, The Ring magazine and lineal titles by defeating Bernard Hopkins. The win made Taylor the first fighter ever to claim each title from the four major boxing organizations. He made his pro debut in 2001 and won his first 25 fights. He finished with a 33-4-1 record, including 20 wins by knockout.
Jose Torres
Olympics: Won the silver medal at the 1956 Games in Melbourne, Australia
Pro Career: A 1997 inductee into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, the Puerto Rican junior middleweight won the WBC and WBA light heavyweight championships in 1965 by defeating Willie Pastrano. He was active in the community following his retirement from boxing after 1969, acting as a representative of the Puerto Rican community in New York. He also served as the New York State Athletic Commission’s commissioner from 1984 to 1988.
