Damien Hooper turns pro

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Bad Boy Olympian Damien “Super” Hooper turns pro, signs with Xcite management. Hatton Promotions beckon?

Australian amateur sensation Damien “Super” Hooper has confirmed he's turning professional after a stellar amateur career. Hooper has inked a management agreement with Matt Clark, Brendan Bourke and Philippe Fondu. “I’m delighted to be turning pro” stated Hooper, “I can’t wait to get into the ring and I couldn't be more happy with my new management team and my trainer Gareth Williams". When asked was the decision to turn pro a difficult one, Hooper replied: “Not at all. I gave the amateurs a good run and now it’s time to turn pro and shake up the Light Heavyweight division.”

20 year old Hooper has had a successful, explosive amateur career; in 2010 he won Gold at the Youth Olympics, Silver at the Youth Worlds and represented Australia in Delhi at the Commonwealth Games. A solid 2011 meant big punching Hooper qualified for the London Olympics as world number 2, where he reached the quarter finals losing to eventual gold medalist Egor Mekhontsev.

Despite his fantastic amateur achievements controversy has never been far behind Hooper. Incidents at the Commonwealth games and a pre-Olympic training camp resulted in him leaving the Australian team earlier than planned. Rumours of alleged rifts with trainers and officials were rife but it was the honourable flouting of Olympic rules in London which caused the most interest. Hooper, a fighter who is fiercely proud of his Indigenous Australian heritage broke, in the eyes of the AOC (Australian Olympic Committee), the Olympic Charter by wearing a t-shirt showing the Aboriginal flag. Hooper was forced to make a public apology but said at the time “I was just representing my people and I was proud to do that.”

Hooper will be moving from Toowoomba to Brisbane to join up with new coach Gareth Williams who is also the trainer of Hooper’s Australian teammate Cameron Hammond and “Irish” Paddy Murphy. Manager Matt Clark said of the signing “I'm excited to be working with someone with as much potential as Damien and I know that under the tutelage of Gareth Williams he'll go as far as possible in the sport.”

As of yet a promoter has not been confirmed but if one was to read between the lines; Hooper’s new training partner Cameron Hammond is managed by Matt Clark and Brendan Rourke, is trained by Gareth Williams and is promoted by Ricky Hatton’s HPAP branch. Is it jumping the gun to think that Hooper will follow his Olympic teammate to Hong Kong? One thing is for sure, we don’t have long too wait.

 

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