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Question to proffesional boxers

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savair

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May 6, 2013, 11:54:14 PM5/6/13
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Do you think the difference between someone who boxes proffesionally and has fought as an amateur is then those guys who become pro after fighting in a tough man competition is basically as follows. If you fight as a pro with an amateur record you try to fight like Muhammad Ali, if you enter pro after fighting in a tough man competition you try to fight like Rocky Balboa. My reasons for saying this is, I would watch Tommy Morrison fight and he would get knocked down by just about everyone. Yet Holyfeld(and I mean when he was in his 20's now not later) that he would try to make sure you just did not knock him down or hit him in the first place?

DCI

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May 7, 2013, 1:15:39 AM5/7/13
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On Monday, May 6, 2013 8:54:14 PM UTC-7, savair wrote:
> Do you think the difference between someone who boxes proffesionally and has fought as an amateur is then those guys who become pro after fighting in a tough man competition is basically as follows. If you fight as a pro with an amateur record you try to fight like Muhammad Ali, if you enter pro after fighting in a tough man competition you try to fight like Rocky Balboa. My reasons for saying this is, I would watch Tommy Morrison fight and he would get knocked down by just about everyone. Yet Holyfeld(and I mean when he was in his 20's now not later) that he would try to make sure you just did not knock him down or hit him in the first place?

Your question takes on an air of esoteric stuff. Is your question, is a person with amateur experience better than a person who goes pro right off the bat?

DCI

Mentalguy2k8

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May 7, 2013, 1:32:17 PM5/7/13
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"savair" <jalex...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:bcf8d74d-3692-45ff...@googlegroups.com...
Extreme examples, but my opinion is that yes, previously amateur fighters
tend to be better all-round fighters when they turn pro, than those who
weren't amateurs. I've seen plenty of really good amateurs who couldn't or
wouldn't turn pro who I think could have been mildly successful. Then you
have the "unlicensed" fighters or worse, those "white collar" fighters who
think that the art of boxing is sprinting across the ring at the first bell
and "windmilling" for 2 minutes until someone falls over, and having an
asthma attack if they don't. They're the ones who get their heads knocked
off when they fight even a novice pro. Any fool can throw jabs and
haymakers, it's avoiding them that's the key skill and that's what amateur
boxing teaches fighters. I never knew any (sensible) amateur who expected to
KO his opponent, so the training was all about tactics and stamina, throwing
and avoiding shots in equal measure.

Amateurs tend to be more defensive, it takes the "tough man" guys or the
ex-MMA fighters longer to hone the punch-avoiding techniques, and to be
honest I'm not sure they fully appreciate how hard a real pro actually hits
until they take one in the kisser. Look at the ex-MMA clown who fought Tyson
Fury's cousin last week, he might as well have been tied to the corner post
he was so easy to hit. But then again, it seems he wasn't very good at MMA
either, 17 losses out of 19 contests (including 9 KOs/TKOs).

Emanuel Berg

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May 10, 2013, 3:47:04 PM5/10/13
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>> Do you think the difference between someone who boxes
>> proffesionally and has fought as an amateur is then those guys who
>> become pro after fighting in a tough man competition is basically
>> as follows. If you fight as a pro with an amateur record you try to
>> fight like Muhammad Ali ...

No. All top-notch fighter have amateur records. This holds even in
Mexico, where they are notorious for turning pro early (which shows in
the Olympic Games, where Mexico has success in other fight sports). To
exemplify, Marquez had 44-2 as an amateur. Saul Alvarez (pro at age
15) had 20 bouts. In the Philippines, Pac-Man had 60-4. And so on:
exoticism won't help. Once they turn pro, they don't "try to fight
like Muhammad Ali" but take on any and all styles, often changing it
along the way.

> Extreme examples, but my opinion is that yes, previously amateur
> fighters tend to be better all-round fighters when they turn pro

Of course!

> Any fool can throw jabs and haymakers, it's avoiding them that's the
> key skill and that's what amateur boxing teaches fighters.

Well, any fool can't throw punches, but yes, it is far easier than
avoiding/blocking them. Also, footwork, head movement, distance, and a
lot of other things are the ABC of any boxing gym.

> I never knew any (sensible) amateur who expected to KO his opponent,
> so the training was all about tactics and stamina, throwing and
> avoiding shots in equal measure.

True.

> Amateurs tend to be more defensive, it takes the "tough man" guys or
> the ex-MMA fighters

Amateur fighters are not necessarily more defensive, but the focus is
*alone* to hit and not get hit. This focus (in a sport event in some
sport system) makes for another thing altogether than selling tickets,
being spectacular, win by KO, etc., in a once-in-a-lifetime title-shot
in Las Vegas. Pro boxing is a sport as well, but amateur boxing is
*only* a sport.

--
Emanuel Berg - programmer (hire me! CV below)
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