By Tom Degun

Rob McCracken_August_16August 17 - Rob McCracken, Britain's boxing performance director and London 2012 team leader, believes his Olympic stars will stay on for the next Games in Rio in 2016, despite the lucrative offers that may come from professional promoters.


At London 2012, Team GB's fighters produced a phenomenal display – topping the boxing medal table as they claimed five medals, three of which were gold.

Women's flyweight Nicola Adams took the first gold for Britain, and the first ever women's boxing gold medal at the Olympics, while bantamweight Luke Campbell and super-heavyweight Anthony Joshua were victorious on the men's side.

In Britain's most successful Olympic boxing campaign in history, welterweight Fred Evans took silver and middleweight Anthony Ogogo the bronze.

The success is likely to see the majority of the fighters offered high-priced professional contracts, particularly Joshua who is tipped to be a future heavyweight champion, but McCracken (pictured top) is optimistic they may all stay on until at least Rio 2016.

"Right now, they all need a few weeks off," said McCracken, who also trains current IBF super middleweight champion Carl Froch in the professional ranks.

"They need a breather.

"But we'll look at Brazil [Rio 2016] and move the team on.

"We will be keeping the majority of the squad together.

Nicola Adams_August_16China's Cancan Ren of China (left) falls after a strike from Nicola Adams of Britain during London 2012's women's boxing flyweight final, which Adams went on to win

"It is up to them what they want to do but they are youngsters and don't have to rush into anything.

"Me?

"I'd like to see them go on to Brazil.

"I'm immensely proud of them all.

"We had a pretty tough draw and they have battled against top class opponents.

"This squad has done really well over the past three years but to be top of the Olympic medal table is unheard of in British boxing – they've been magnificent."

Joshua is considered the most likely to go to the professional ranks as superheavyweight is historically the most lucrative division in boxing and the 22-year-old Londoner could land a multi-million pound deal even before he steps foot in a professional ring because of his Olympic triumph.

However, Joshua, who won silver at the amateur World Championships last year, insists he is in no rush to turn professional.

"I will stay amateur for as long as possible," he said.

"I quite like the sound of Rio 2016.

Anthony Joshua_August_16_Anthony Joshua celebrates his gold medal win during the London 2012 Awards Ceremon

"I'm not interested in the money.

"I want to go out and get a burger and a big chocolate cake, then I want to go back to my flat just to kick back for a few days and enjoy some of my mum's home cooking."

Joshua also said that there is further reason to stay involved in Olympic boxing now that the International Boxing Association (AIBA), the governing body for the sport at amateur level, are making moves to turn the sport professional.

They have already launched the professional-style World Series of Boxing (WSB) and next year will unveil AIBA Professional Boxing (APB), which like the WSB, will allow fighters to box professionally while retaining their Olympic eligibility.

"The way the amateur sport is going, with the World Series of Boxing and the new AIBA Professional Boxing, it's very interesting and it could be the kind of thing that stops boxers automatically turning professional," said Joshua.

"You look at the Cubans, the Ukrainians and the Chinese and all their double Olympic champions and imagine how great that would be.

"If Great Britain can keep this team together, we would be incredibly strong in Rio in four years' time.

"We are in a position where we could dominate amateur boxing over the next four years."

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