1996 British prospects...what happened with their careers?

This is a list of fighters taken from the August 2nd 1996 issue of Boxing News. 1 fighter per division:

Heavyweight
Then: Pele Reid (5-0)
"Despite a total lack of amateur experience, former world champion kick boxer Pele Reid is the one to watch. The 23-year-old from Birmingham is still very raw but compensates with a combination of speed, power and athleticism..."

Now: Pele Reid (20-6-2)
Continued his impressive knockout run whilst also gradually stepping up in class in terms of opposition. Met Julius Francis in a battle for the British title and was stopped inside of 3 rounds. Never recovered and a shaky chin has plagued his career.

Cruiserweight
Then: Kelly Oliver (4-0)
"Four-time ABA champion Kelly Oliver hasn't had an easy start to his pro career...has already benefited from two competitive matches with Andrew Benson and John Pierre and came through with flying colours...a tall, stand-up boxer with a good variety of punches...showed he has the heart and discipline..."

Now: Kelly Oliver (20-3)
Continued winning until he was surprisingly stopped by John Keeton. Tried to build his career up again from this loss, but ran into Sebastiaan Rothmann, a fighter best known for his incredible fight with Carl Thompson. The loss effectively ended his career as he only fought 3 times in 8 years after that.

Light-Heavyweight
Then: Dean Francis (13-1)
"...hard-punching Dean Francis stands out...a move up in weight has seen him look more comfortable and at times devastating. A good combination puncher, he destroyed tough Aussie John Marceta in June and looks a strong bet to win a title in the coming season."

Now: Dean Francis (31-4-1)
Continued to look impressive even though he moved back down in weight, stopping the likes of David Starie and Cornelius Carr. A shoulder injury forced him to temporarily retire, yet returned after surgery. However, the injury would persist and hampered his progress yet he still managed to score an impressive victory over Tony Oakey. His loss in the semi-finals of Prizefighter seems to have been his last fight.

Super-Middleweight
Then: David Starie (11-0)
"...in his last outing at York Hall, the former ABA champion blew away the usually resilient John Duckworth with one cracking left uppercut to signal his arrival as a force in the division. Looking sharper and developing power after a tentative start."

Now: David Starie (31-4)
As mentioned previously, he lost to other highly touted prospect Dean Francis, yet this didn't stop his progression. He went on to hand Clinton Woods his first defeat whilst claiming the Commonwealth title. He also picked up the British title, but when he stepped up and challenged for the 'World' title, against both Joe Calzaghe and Sven Ottke, he was beaten on points.

Middleweight
Then: Jason Matthews (11-0)
"...Jason Matthews is always exciting to watch. A dedicated trainer with a genuine punch...Tough scrap with Sven Hamer last year showed he can take it as well as dish it out..."

Now: Jason Matthews (21-2)
Continued his progress, yet was surprisingly beat by little-known Lorant Szabo which, for the time being, slowed his progress down. After coming back from that, he scored an impressive, and career-best, win over Ryan Rhodes. This earned him a shot at the WBO 'World' title, although he was stopped inside of 8 rounds by Armand Krajnc.

Light-Middleweight
Then: Steve Roberts (9-0)
"...one of a host of young prospects whom Matchroom are hoping will establish themselves in the coming season...is a good technician with neat boxing skills, speed and plenty of variety. Should mature in the next year into a serious contender."

Now: Steve Roberts (30-2)
Continued his unbeaten record and picked up the lightly regarded WBF title. He beat decent contenders such as Keith Mullings and Scott Dixon, yet the rest of his record was not great. 2 losses late in his career ended his unbeaten record.

Welterweight
Then: Paul Samuels (5-0)
"...one of the new breed of Welshmen looking to make their mark. A solid hitter who picks his punches well, the former Multi Nations gold medalist should make strides this season..."

Now: Paul Samuels (21-7-2)
A 3 round war with fellow banger Wayne Alexander ended Samuels unbeaten record. He couldn't reach 'prospect' status again after he was stopped by Richard Williams in their 2nd fight and had a hiatus from the sport for 3 years before returning. Two back-to-back wins over the hard hitting Cello Renda has added credibility to Samuels return to the sport.

Light-Welterweight
Then: Peter Richardson (10-0)
"The former two-time ABA champion Peter Richardson looks the best prospect in the country at the moment...has produced some impressive performances, stopping unbeaten Everald Williams and comprehensively outpointing the awkward Karl Taylor. A fine technician with enough power to be respected, Richardson should win a title this season."

Now: Peter Richardson (14-3)
Lost his very next fight against journeyman Rimvydas Billus. Although he avenged the defeat in his next fight, the amateur star never recovered and had a disappointing professional career.

Lightweight
Then: Colin Dunne (20-0)
"Barring a disaster, Holloway's crowd-pleasing Colin 'Dynamo' Dunne will get a crack as the British title this season. His swarming aggression, punishing body attacks and all-action contests have already led him to the Southern Area title which he won impressively by stopping Jon Thaxton...1996-1997 could be the Dynamo's year."

Now: Colin Dunne (38-3)
Lost to the exciting, and quality, Michael Ayers when he stepped up to British level. He bounced back from this by picking up the lightly regarded, and much criticised, WBU belt which he won from Emmanuel Clottey (Joshua's brother). During his career he picked up impressive wins over fighters such as Billy Schwer and Phillip Holiday, although his career ended on a sour note as he lost his last two fights.

Super-Featherweight
Then: Dean Phillips (10-3)
"...Dean Phillips emerged as a hot prospect last year when he outpointed then-British champion Mike Deveney in a non-title fight and floored Colin McMillan before dropping a disputed decision. Aggressive and committed, the 20-year-old pressure fighter is a typically tough Welshman..."

Now: Dean Phillips (15-8.)
Lost his next fight and had a very patchy career after that. He had a five-year break from the ring and couldn't discover the form that had made him labelled as a 'prospect'.

Featherweight
Then: Dean Pithie (7-0-1)
"The featherweight ranks are rich with young talent, but Coventry's Dean Pithie is the pick. This former ABA champion was the last man to beat Naseem Hamed back in their amateur days, but so far inactivity has hindered his progress...with more experience this compact box-fighter, trained by Charlie Magri, has the potential to go far."

Now: Dean Pithie (25-5-2)
Had some good early career wins, ending Stefy Bull's and Paul Griffin's unbeaten records, yet lost to domestic rival Gary Thornhill. He had three more losses in the next year, including a points loss to Michael Gomez, yet he managed to build himself back up again and won the Commonwealth title. However, he lost the title in his very next fight and promptly retired.

Super-Bantamweight
Then: Michael Brodie (16-0)
"One-round blowouts of former British title challenger Elvis Parsley and unbeaten John Sillo have made people sit up and take notice of Manchester's Michael Brodie. The 23-year-old, managed by Jack Trickett, is fast, powerful and punishing. He should be fighting an eliminator very soon."

Now: Michael Brodie (36-4-1)
Continued impressively and won the British title in a thriller with Neil Swain. He then claimed the European title which he defended a few times until he was given his 'World' title opportunity. Michael lost a controversial decision to Willie Jorrin for the WBC title. Yet this did not deter Brodie's charge towards a 'World' title and he soon got another opportunity against In-Jin Chi. In a thriller, he again missed out on winning the WBC belt as he got a draw against Chi (although most scored it for Chi). Brodie wasn't the same after this fight and lost the rematch to Chi and also lost to Scott Harrison as he challenged for the WBO belt. 4 Years later he made an ill-advised comeback, and although he thrilled the fans in his fight with Mark Alexander, it was plainly obvious that Brodie was just a shell of his former self and he was soundly defeated by Anthony Crolla. Hopefully it will be the last time Brodie steps in the ring.

Bantamweight
Then: Adi Lewis (9-0)
Bury's Adi Lewis is short in inches but long on power. The 21-year-old is only 4ft 10 1/2ins, but has proved big things come in small packages. Last time out in Stevenage, the 'Mighty Atom' blasted out the usually reliable Graham McGrath in one round..."

Now: Adi Lewis (19-5-1)
Adi fought at Flyweight and picked up the British title winning the vacant title by defeating Keith Knox over 12 rounds. When he stepped up to European level, he lost his unbeaten record as he was stopped inside of four by David Guerault. He moved back up to Bantamweight and won the British title in a 2nd weight class, as well as the Commonwealth title, as he defeated the exciting Francis Ampofo on points. This was his last big win as he lost three of his last four fights.

Flyweight
Then: Harry Woods (5-0-2)
"Welshman Harry Woods looks the best on offer here. The Bargoed man, an aggressive body puncher, also has some good skills looks a fair bet for one of the many titles on offer."

Now: Harry Woods (10-9-2)
As his record suggests, he didn't achieve much in his pro career. He challenged for the WBC International title, but lost on points to the unbeaten Alex Baba. After this, he turned into a journeyman of sorts, but ended his career on a high defeating Willie Valentine on points over 4 rounds.

 

Added all of them now :good

Lot to read, but I find it interesting :yep

 

I have done previous threads where I have posted some interviews from the 90's, such as interviews from Thaxton after his shock win over Paul Ryan, Tarver before he went to the Olympics and one with a up and coming Joe Calzaghe :yep

I will post you the links to them if you want :good