Gemma Paige Richardson (born 4 August 2001) is an English professional boxer who competes at lightweight and light-welterweight. As an amateur, she won the light-welterweight gold medal at the 2018 AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships, four European titles across junior, youth and under-22 competition, five English national titles, and a lightweight silver medal for England at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Richardson's notable amateur victories included wins over future world champions Nune Asatryan and Jaismine Lamboria, future senior European champion Stefanie von Berge, and future world bronze medallist Manisha Moun. She turned professional in 2025 and won her first four bouts. She defeated former European female welterweight champion Kirstie Bavington at bp pulse LIVE in Birmingham on 29 August 2026. As of August 2026, Richardson was ranked seventh in the world at welterweight by the World Boxing Association (WBA).

Early life Richardson was born in Lincoln and raised in Scunthorpe. She began attending Scunthorpe Boxing Club at the age of six after watching her older brother train. Her father, Ricko Richardson, was a boxing coach and subsequently coached both children. Richardson began training seriously at eight, competed for the first time at ten and was selected to represent England at twelve.

Richardson later described having to overcome stereotypes about girls participating in boxing. By the end of her amateur career, she had won five national titles and represented both England and Great Britain internationally. The BBC reported that she had won 60 of 67 amateur contests.

Amateur career

Junior and youth championships Richardson won silver at the 2016 European Junior Championships in Ordu, Turkey, before winning the European junior title in Sofia the following year. In the 2017 final, she defeated Germany's Stefanie von Berge, who later became the first German woman to win a senior European boxing title in 2022.

In 2018, Richardson won the European Youth Championships at light-welterweight and then represented England at the Youth World Championships in Budapest. She defeated China's Wang Xulu, Wales's Caitlin Beckett and Russia's Lanna Malyuganova to reach the final, where she defeated India's Manisha Moun to win the world title. Moun subsequently won a bronze medal at the 2022 IBA Women's World Boxing Championships.

Richardson retained her European Youth title in Sofia in 2019. She defeated Ireland's Evelyn Igharo, Russia's Maria Bersteneva and Finland's Eveliina Taimi before defeating von Berge by a 3–2 split decision in the final. England Boxing reported that Richardson entered the tournament with a hand injury that had prevented her from making a fist two weeks earlier.

Under-22 and senior competition Richardson moved down to lightweight and won the 2021 European Under-22 Championships in Roseto degli Abruzzi, Italy. She defeated Ireland's Ellie Mai Gartland in the quarterfinal, top seed Nune Asatryan of Russia by split decision in the semifinal, and Ukraine's Amina Abramova unanimously in the final. Asatryan later won the lightweight title at the 2025 IBA Women's World Boxing Championships.

At the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, Richardson defeated Megan Reid of Scotland, Jade Burden of Australia and Jaismine Lamboria of India to reach the women's lightweight final. She defeated Lamboria by a 3–2 split decision before losing the gold-medal bout to Northern Ireland's Amy Broadhurst. Lamboria subsequently won the 2025 World Boxing Championships, becoming India's first women's world champion under World Boxing.

Richardson continued with the Great Britain programme through the Paris 2024 Olympic cycle. At the 2024 USA Boxing International Invitational in Pueblo, Colorado, she defeated Austrian Felicitas Ganglbauer and American Lisa Greer before losing to China's Yang Wenlu in the final. Greer had won the 60 kg division at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials four months earlier.

After missing selection for the 2024 Summer Olympics, Richardson left the amateur system and signed professional terms with promoter Steve Wood and 11:11 Management.

Professional career Richardson made her professional debut on 8 March 2025 at the Toughsheet Community Stadium in Bolton, defeating Angelika Oles over six rounds by a referee's score of 60–55.

In her second bout, Richardson faced Tereza Dvořáková at Connexin Live Arena in Hull on 28 June 2025. She recorded her first professional stoppage when the contest was halted at 1:45 of the fifth round.

After an eight-month absence, Richardson returned on 5 April 2026 on Most Valuable Promotions' first all-women's card in the United Kingdom at Olympia London, winning a six-round points decision over Johana Rajmont. She improved to 4–0 in June 2026 by winning every round of a six-round contest against Jana Duchonova in Bolton.

Richardson trains between Tenacity Hartlepool and Scunthorpe Boxing Gym under John Stubbs and her father, Ricko Richardson.

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