Who is Roscoe Hill? All about the American boxer competing at Paris Olympics who shares boxing connections with Archie Moore and George Foreman

By Zahid Rashid Dar

Modified Jul 16, 2024 17:59 GMT

Roscoe Hill is an American boxer who competes in the 51 kg/112 lb Flyweight division. The 29-year-old recently secured qualification for the Paris Olympics 2024 at the Boxing Olympic Qualifying tournament in Bangkok Thailand.

Hill comes from a family rich in boxing legacy. His father was a training partner of George Foreman. Foreman fought against Muhammed Ali in one of the all-time boxing bouts in 1974’s The Rumble in the Jungle. Both George Foreman and Rose Hill's father would train together under the tutelage of another boxing icon, Archie Moore.

In an interview with Olympics.com last year, Hill claimed that his father trained with Foreman under Moore and that he learned a lot from them. Hill's father transferred the learnings to him, who now eyes the Olympic glory just like Foreman achieved in the 1968 Mexico Games.

"They taught him everything he knows and he passed it down to me,” Hill said.

“It would feel like I’d done something great that my father and brother wanted to do,” he said of the prospect of medalling at Paris 2024. “So, yes, it would feel pretty great.”

Both Roscoe Hill's father and brother wanted to compete at the Olympic Games. While they didn't garner much success, the 29-year-old world medalist has booked the ticket and now has his eyes on the gold medal.

Roscoe Hill's ethnicity and early career

Roscoe Hill was born on November 9, 1994, in Michigan, United States. However, he later shifted to Texas when he was in the seventh grade. Although Hill was earlier interested in playing basketball despite the boxing legacy in the family, when the success didn't come, he switched to boxing. The 29-year-old made his debut against Gilbert Renteria in 2009.

Roscoe Hill's coach and gym

Roscoe Hill is personally trained by former Irish boxer Billy Walsh, who also serves as the head coach of USA Boxing. Hill was earlier trained by his father and would practice in George Foreman’s gym.

Roscoe Hill's career achievements

Santiago 2023 Pan Am Games - Roscoe Hill (Blue) in action (Photo-Getty)

After making his debut in 2009, Roscoe Hill has amassed 36 victories from 46 bouts in his amateur career, including two knockout wins. He beat Ganerdene Gankhuyag of Mongolia 5-0 in the Olympic Qualification in Bangkok to qualify for the Paris Olympics 2024.

Hill first rose to prominence after placing third at the 2018 USA Boxing Elite National Championships. A year later, he finished runner-up in the Western Qualifier. The 29-year-old was eying the Olympic berth in the 2020 Olympics but finished third at the Trials.

Following the Trials, Hill won a silver medal at the 2021 World Championships in Belgrade, his first major international medal. He secured the AMBC Elite Championships title in 2022 and followed it up with a bronze at the Pan American Championships a year later.