Calum French has his sights set on professional glory after calling time on a fine amateur career.
The 26-year has put his signature on a long-term promotional deal with Matchroom Boxing, beating friends and Birtley and GB team-mates the McCormack brothers by joining Eddie Hearn and DAZN.
Frenchy, who will be trained by his Birtley coach Graeme Rutherford, is expected to make his debut in November.
“I’m overwhelmed with the opportunity I’ve been given to be a Matchroom fighter, “ said Calum.
“I grew up watching the Matchroom shows dreaming one day I’d be boxing on them.
“Today is the day it’s manifested into reality. I’ve done my apprenticeship at the highest-level representing Team GB and I hope that experience will serve me well going forward into the pro game.
“I want to thank Eddie Hearn for believing in me and giving me this opportunity and my advisor Charlie Sims at Huge Boxing for making it happen. Let’s have it!”
These are exciting time for French and Hearn too, who has secured one of the country’s best talents, but it is a blow for the Great Britain set-up after they earmarked the Gateshead lad as a medal hope for the 2023 Olympic Games.
The majority of boxing observers will know the story of how Calum is one the sport’s unluckiest characters – he was seemingly destined for Tokyo 2020 until the lightweight category was removed from the Games.
It meant he was pitched against Luke McCormack for the light-welter spot but his friend and colleague was always that one step in front of him in the race for Tokyo.
But Paris was only three years away and his GB coaches had high hopes for French in France, especially after he struck gold in his first tournament at light-welter (pictured above).
Boxing at the Algirdas Socikas Tournament in Lithuania, Calum put aside 18 months of inactivity and frustration with a string of good results, outpointing Lithuania’s hope, Lukas Pusvaskis, France’s top-rated Lounes Hamraoui and Enrico La Cruz, from the Netherlands.
Calum, is a top-drawer talent, having medalled in his first major tournament, bringing home a bronze medal from the European Championship in Kharkiv in 2017 while he reached the Commonwealth Games quarter-finals a year later in the Gold Coast.
When the World Series of Boxing was in its pomp, Frenchy was a star for British Lionhearts with the five three-minute rounds looking right up his street.
He has joined his old Birtley pal and comrade, Cyrus Pattinson, in the Matchroom camp after the Alnwick welterweight made his pro debut in the summer.
Hearn said: “Calum has been an outstanding amateur for Team GB and will now get all the opportunities to achieve his goals in the professional code.
“I look forward to seeing Calum shine all over the world over the next few years live on DAZN.”
Words: Roy Kelly
