But but it isn't the amateurs...

I've been following Rigondeaux for over 10 years now, he is exactly the same fighter. He hasn't transitioned to anything, he was a masterful boxer in the 'sport' and that didn't change once he reached the 'hype/paid' game.

 

And..? Golovkin picked Rigo.

Mayweather doesn't respect the amateur game since he felt he got 'robbed' in 96.

I had it 50/50 before this fight leaning towards Rigo, but I said if Rigo can take Donaire's punches then I'd pick Rigo everyday. Boxing skills are boxing skills, regardless if it's for a gold medal/your country or a paycheck.

 

You say that now. Wait until you haven't just seen Rigo embarrass a p4p fighter. Wait until Lomachenko does the same thing to any supposed top 'professional', battering them from all ranges and not just from the outside.

 

Well you have to, you only have 3-4 rounds. His style is exactly same and he moves exactly the same. He is and was a defensive back foot counter puncher.
I'm not saying rigondeaux isn't/wasn't exceptional, my point is that anybody who understands boxing knows that amateur and pro boxing aren't that different. Rigo certainly didn't gain those skills to dominate Donaire in 11 pro fights against inferior competition than he faced in the olympics. Rigo himself was criticised by the fans on here for talking about his amateur achievements, saying that they meant nothing and it may as well be a different sport. Also criticised his training methods etc.

 

Yeah he really needed somebody who was getting paid for providing misinformation and placebos. If only Donaire took his ZMA

 

Well yes there are too many variables involved and there are always going to be exceptions, but a talented amateur boxer is going to be an equally talented pro 9 out of 10 times. An untalented amateur is less likely to be a talented pro. They are the same sport.
An atg amateur like Rigondeaux or Lomachenko is as close to a certainty in the pro game as you can get. Lomachenko will only be 25 when he turns pro this year as well, he has more time to achieve than Rigo.

 

He is economical because he is flat footed. Being 'on your toes' is one of the stupid things US trainers try to put into their fighters. Bouncing around is okay if you're just trying to poke your opponent and get out of range quickly, but the top amateurs/pros move in and out of range while having their feet planted. It's a skill and the top Ukrainian/Cuban/Russian amateurs do it well. US boxing is based on a misunderstanding of the sport on the amateur level. It's good footwork that should be emphasised, not 'staying on your toes'. You're just raising your COG and decreasing the torque generated through your hips/ankle/knee joint by your quads/glutes/hammies. If you're on your toes you're limiting what your large muscle can generate into the ground, you're just using your calf muscles for something they're not very good at (generating power).