Paris Olympian Nishant Dev to make his professional boxing debut on January 25

Indian boxer Nishant Dev has turned pro after signing a deal with Matchroom Boxing on Friday, January 10. The youngster will make his debut in Las Vegas on Saturday, January 25. The championship will also feature Rubalcava Mercado, Zaquin Moses, Cruz Salcido, Harley Mederos, and Mercado Pedraza. Mederos is one of the new signings along with Nishant.

Last year, Nishant was a part of the Indian boxing contingent in the Paris Olympics along with the likes of Lovlina Borgohain and Nikhat Zareen. The official Instagram handle of Matchroom Boxing welcomed Nishant with the message reading -

“Another Olympian signed. India’s southpaw sensation Nishant Dev turns pro with Matchroom Boxing. Debut lands in Las Vegas, Jan 25."

Nishant Dev agonizingly misses medal at Paris Olympics

At the Paris Games, Nishant was on course to become only the second Indian male boxer to win an Olympic medal after Vijender Singh. But he lost his quarterfinal bout to Marco Verde Alvarez of Mexico in the men’s 71kg category. The 23-year-old had defeated Alvarez in the World Championships in 2021, but could not cross the hurdle this time around.

In his match against Alvarez in Paris, Nishant won the opening round without having to break a sweat. In the second round, he landed a few jab hooks on his Mexican opponent. But the judges thought that Alvarez was in command, putting him ahead in the contest.

Alvarez started the last round aggressively and Nishant looked out of sorts, although he evaded a few of the punches.

After Nishant lost the match, showing his disappointment, Vijender Singh wrote on X:

"I don’t know what’s the scoring system, but I think very close fight…he played so well.. koi na bhai #NishantDev.”

India failed to win a single boxing medal at the Paris Olympics. Back in 2023, Nishant also won the bronze medal in the light middleweight category at the World Championships in Tashkent.