How did the Team GB 2016 squad fare? Joshua Buatsi aims to join Cordina, Kelly and Okolie as world champions

How did the Team GB 2016 squad fare?

By Chris Newcombe5 Nov 2026 · 8 min read

Joshua Buatsi at the 2016 Olympics — How did the Team GB 2016 squad fare? Joshua Buatsi aims to join Cordina, Kelly and Okolie as world championsTeam GB

Joshua Buatsi, Joe Cordina, Josh Kelly and Lawrence Okolie were all part of the Team GB 2016

On Saturday evening, November 7, Joshua Buatsi will compete in a world title fight for the first time as a professional, as he faces Scotsman Willy Hutchinson for the WBC Light-Heavyweight belt at the AO Arena, Manchester, live on DAZN.

Buatsi, who won bronze at the 2016 Olympic Games for Team GB, was one of only two male boxing medalists alongside Joe Joyce, who went one better to take silver at super-heavyweight.

All ten of the Team GB class of 2016 turned professional but how have they fared in the paid ranks?

Muhammad Ali

Weight: Flyweight

2016 Olympic Performance: Round of 16

Professional debut: 2020

Professional record: 5-0-1

Major Titles Won: N/A

Career Summary:

The wonderfully named Muhammad Ali stayed in the amateur setup after the Olympics, but had the ignominy of becoming the first Team GB boxer to fail a drugs test in 2018.

After being unable to prove his innocence, a ban was imposed and Ali eventually decided to join the paid ranks.

His career as a pro never really took off, with just six fights between his debut in February 2022-October 2023. The last of those was a draw in a six-rounder in Wetherby and having turned 30 earlier this year, it seems unlikely that he’ll return to the ring after a prolonged absence.

Qais Afshaq

Weight: Bantamweight

2016 Olympic performance: Round of 32

Professional debut: 2018

Professional record: 13-4-1

Major titles won: N/A

Career Summary:

Leeds’ southpaw Ashfaq racked up eight straight wins by the end of 2019 but dropped a decision to Mark Leach in a British title eliminator the following year, and it’s fair to say his career never really recovered.

Five further wins came his way in either six or eight rounders but he lost his sole title fight, a split decision defeat to to Liam Dillon for the British 130lbs belt in 2023 marked the beginning of the end.

One win, a draw and two stoppage losses followed and Afshaq hasn’t fought since August 2025.

Joshua Buatsi

Weight: Light Heavyweight

2016 Olympic performance: Bronze medalist

Year of professional debut: 2017

Professional Record: 20-1

Career Summary:

There has been high hopes ever since Buatsi shone at the Olympics and on Saturday night, he has a golden opportunity to become a world champion as he faces a fighter in Willy Hutchinson, who he has already beaten.

The professional career of ‘Just Business’ has been a stop-start affair so far but he has secured the British and Commonwealth titles and boasts credible wins over Craig Richards, Dan Azeez and Zach Parker as well as the Hutchinson win.

Buatsi has endured a stop-start time since turning over due to injuries, promotional issues and also swerving world title opportunities and despite defeat to Callum Smith in a cracking fight last February, he is primed to become the fourth world champion from the class of 2016.

Joe Cordina

Weight: Lightweight

2016 Olympic Performance: Round of 16

Professional debut: 2017

Professional record: 19-1

World Titles won: IBF Super-Featherweight Title (2x)

Career Summary:

Cardiff’s Joe Cordina has had arguably the most successful professional career of the class of 2016, having reigned twice as a super-featherweight world champion.

In the early stages of his career, he fought at super-featherweight before moving to lightweight where he captured the British and Commonwealth titles, his hand speed and quality catching the eye.

His crowning night came in Cardiff, a thunderous one-punch knockout flattening IBF champion Kenichi Ogawa inside two rounds, as he fulfilled his world title potential in front of his home fans in 2022.

After being stripped of the belt due to injury, he won it back in his next fight, a gruelling barnstormer against Shavkat Rakhimov which Cordina edged via split-decision.

One successful defence followed before his only professional defeat, a stoppage loss to Anthony Cacace to relinquish his title in Riyadh in 2024.

Two wins have followed since as Cordina looks to mount another world title challenge and after being cleared of an assault charge last month, Cordina is hoping to face living legend Manny Pacquiao on the Tyson Fury-Anthony Joshua card in December at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium.

Anthony Fowler

Weight: Middleweight

2016 Olympic performance: Round of 32

Professional debut: 2017

Professional record: 16-2

Major Titles won: N/A

Career Summary:

Liverpudlian Fowler turned professional after losing in the opening round of the Games to future world champion, Janibek Alimkhanuly and ‘The Machine’ won his first nine in excellent fashion-eight by stoppage and with Matchroom behind him, hopes were high.

He was then dropped and outpointed by old amateur rival, Scott Fitzgerald in a spicy domestic clash and despite wins over Brian Rose and Harry Scarff, to win international and inter-continental belts and gaining world rankings, Fowler didn’t crack the higher level.

A defeat by fellow Scouser, Liam Smith in a Liverpool derby via eighth round stoppage in October 2021 signalled the beginning of the end.

Fowler would fight only once more in a ten-round points win the following March before hanging up his gloves, citing a loss of motivation and the desire to focus on his family and his business interests.

Joe Joyce

Weight: Super Heavyweight

2016 Olympic performance: Silver medalist

Professional debut: 2017

Professional record: 16-5

Major Titles won: British, Commonwealth and European titles

Career Summary:

After controversially falling short in the final to Tony Yoka and so having to settle for a silver medal, Joyce took to the professional ranks like a duck to water.

‘Juggernaut’ is his nickname and it was apt, the Londoner marching forward fully prepared to take a shot to land his own and it saw him earn stoppage wins over Daniel Dubois, Carlos Takam and Joseph Parker.

He was the leading ranked contender for a shot at the WBO title in 2023 and had earned a reputation as a must-see fighter, but an ill-fated decision to defend his ‘Interim’ title against Zhilei Zhang proved to be career-changing.

The Chinese banger stopped Joyce in successive fights to dismantle the theory that his chin was indestructible, and he hasn’t recovered since.

A sluggish win over Kash Ali is his only successive in six fights and many observers are hoping that after a concerning stoppage loss to Artem Suslenkov, Joyce opts to walk away.

Josh Kelly

Weight: Welterweight

2016 Olympic Performance: Round of 16

Year of Professional Debut: 2017

Professional record: 19-1-1

World Titles Won: IBF Light-Middleweight Title

Career Summary:

‘Pretty Boy’ Kelly turned professional with Matchroom and it was clear that Eddie Hearn had high hopes for the Sunderland man.

Josh has had a rollercoaster career, in the early days he often flattered to deceive, and left punters wanting more than the slick skills he displayed.

After nine straight wins, including capturing the Commonwealth welterweight title, Kelly was held to a draw by the unheralded Ray Robinson at Madison Square Garden in 2019 and worse was to come.

The relentless pressure of David Avenyesan overwhelmed a bloodied Kelly in February 2021 in a European title bout, exposing him as not being ready for the top level.

Dropped by his promotors, Kelly had to take the long road back and he did so magnificently, capturing the British title at light-middleweight with an excellent win over Troy Williamson.

That win was part of seven straight successes as he rose through the ranks to earn his world title shot at 154lbs.

Divisional bogeyman, Bakhram Murtazaliev travelled to the North East to defend his IBF title and Kelly, as the underdog was superb.

Outboxing and outworking the Russian, knocking him down early before having to pick himself up in the ninth, Kelly showed his class and willingness to go to dark places and was a deserved winner on the scorecards.

He defended successfully against Caoimhin Agyarko in July in Riyadh, again coming through difficult moments due to a nasty cut, and now looks set for a mouthwatering three-belt unification clash with Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis stateside in early 2027.

Pat McCormack

Weight: Light-Welterweight

2016 Olympic performance: Round of 16

Professional debut: 2022

Professional record: 8-1

Major Titles won: N/A

Career Summary:

The Sunderland fighter stayed in the amateur ranks after the 2016 Games and struck gold in the 2018 Commonwealth Games before winning a silver medal in Tokyo.

He has excited in his brief career so far, the highlight being dismantling Robbie Davies Jr last February which raised expectation that he would go on towards world level but he ran in to a rampant Conah Walker that December and was stopped in the last round.

It has recently been announced that, like Yafai he would return on Walker’s undercard in December.

Lawrence Okolie

Weight: Heavyweight

2016 Olympic performance: Round of 16

Professional debut: 2017

Professional record: 23-1

World Titles won: WBO Cruiserweight Title, WBC Bridgerweight Title

Career Summary:

Okolie, as a late entrant to the sport is a remarkable success story. In his first fifteen bouts as a professional he captured the British, Commonwealth and European titles as he proved a tricky customer to deal with due to his style that does split opinion due to his tendency to smother and hold, but he does possess power in his right hand.

He secured the WBO title with an impressive win over Krzysztof Glowacki and also holds a win over Michal Cieslak, but lost his title to Chris Billam-Smith before crushing Lukasz Rozanski in a round at Bridgerweight to become a two-weight world champion.

Okolie has moved to heavyweight but an adverse drug test finding in April scuppered a Paris clash with Tony Yoka, the WBC have since cleared Okolie of wrongdoing and so he is expected to be back in action soon.

Galal Yafai

Weight: Light Flyweight

2016 Olympic Performance: Round of 16

Professional debut: 2022

Professional Record: 9-0-1

Major Titles Won: N/A

Career Summary:

Yafai stayed on as an amateur after 2016 and it was a decision that paid off, he collected gold at both the 2018 Commonwealth Games and the delayed Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021.

That should’ve signalled lift off but a points defeat to Francisco Rodriguez Jr in 2025, which was subsequently overturned to a no contest after the Mexican failed a drugs test, has derailed Yafai.

He turned over as a professional and won the WBC International Title on debut, a belt he went on to defend five times before securing the WBC Interim belt with a career-best win over amateur rival Sunny Edwards in late 2024.

He hasn’t fought since and had to pull out of a world title fight against Ricardo Sandoval, which was scheduled for June.

Thankfully, he is soon to return to the ring against as yet confirmed opponent on the Conah Walker-Alexis Rocha card in Wolverhampton next month.

If he successfully shakes off the ring rust and the controversial fight hasn’t left too many scars, he still looks well-placed to become another world champion from the Team GB 2016 cohort.