Dusmatov turns pro

[yu265545]

According to the below article, gold medalist Hasanboy Dusmatov has already turned pro - signed by promoter Rodney Berman of South Africa. I was surprised as he is young and Uzbekistan has a strong amateur boxing culture. I would expect he would have been paid handsomely to stay in with AIBA through WSB or APB. Will the other Uzbek medalists follow suit and join the non-AIBA pro ranks?

http://www.uzdaily.uz/articles-id-29516.htm

So far 7 out 10 gold medalists from London left AIBA to turn pro (and there is still a chance Ramirez and Sotolongo can make it to the US).

How many of Rio's champs will leave AIBA to turn pro.

I heard the boxing announcer (international feed) say that Conceicao was turning pro after the games. Yelussinov's brother is a professional already. I would imagine that Yoka is a good bet to turn pro. And now the Uzbekis?

[Lead Write]

I spoke with Berman and he said he was contacted by contacts in Eastern Europe during the tournament and they began talks.

It's a steal, Dusmatov shone brightly in 2015, and has gone onto win Olympic gold and the Val Barker Trophy in 2016. Great little fighter and will transition very nicely to the pro's.

Check out our full article on Dusmatov's journey here: http://inthiscorner.co.uk/dusmatov-spotlight/

[yu265545]

I enjoyed the article. Have you heard anything about his teammates (Zoirov, Gaibnazarov, Melikuziev, Giyasov) and their willingness to turn pro?

[yu265545]

Not a surprise - Yoka says he is turning pro:

http://www.france24.com/en/20160822-fra ... o-olympics

[yu265545]

Hmmm, Dusmatov seems to deny signing with Berman or anyone else

http://www.uzdaily.uz/articles-id-29539.htm

[locoxelbox]

I thought it sounded strange. Why the need to sign so fast with the first promoter who shows up? And they aren´t very big to begin with. What´s the chance that Dusmatov knows English very well to sign a professional contract with a South African promoter just a few days fresh of winning Olympic gold. He surely should return home to Uzbekistan, weigh his options and then decide.