Number of pro fighters today compared with the past

Interesting topic more than most of the threads here, but many drunkards and non entities fought "professionally" now and then.

 

How many guys fighting in the amateurs well into their 20's would formerly have been thrown into the pros at a much earlier age?

 

I've been suspicious that the talent pool is larger now due to global access to boxing.

 

Someone added up the fights (though not the # of fighters) in boxrec a while back. I'll post it with a link despite the caveat that boxrec is incomplete and doesn't even have every popular boxers' fights from distant time periods listed let alone the nobodies toiling in obscurity.

http://boxrec.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=101907&start=25

2012 22265
2011 22491
2010 21053
2009 20902
2008 20625
2007 20714
2006 20087
2005 19552
2004 18406
2003 17113
2002 17001
2001 16026
2000 15071
1999 15235
1998 14269
1997 15067
1996 14287
1995 14274
1994 13766
1993 14374
1992 13280
1991 12703
1990 13484
1989 13153
1988 12362
1987 11690
1986 11350
1985 12741
1984 12581
1983 14547
1982 15211
1981 14040
1980 12538
1979 11950
1978 10596
1977 10975
1976 8919
1975 9372
1974 9224
1973 10245
1972 10379
1971 11222
1970 11124
1969 9864
1968 9815
1967 9623
1966 9710
1965 9415
1964 9675
1963 10271
1962 11302
1961 11764
1960 12215
1959 12303
1958 13091
1957 12913
1956 13447
1955 14461
1954 15711
1953 16032
1952 16792
1951 17739
1950 19820
1949 22613
1948 25695
1947 30488
1946 30936
1945 17185
1944 15660
1943 12702
1942 12350
1941 12914
1940 15891
1939 17134
1938 19047
1937 24517
1936 20433
1935 23767
1934 26667
1933 28997
1932 30914
1931 35794
1930 36138
1929 33654
1928 32337
1927 28389
1926 24307
1925 22900
1924 24305
1923 23669
1922 22859
1921 19362
1920 17662
1919 12351
1918 6311
1917 9055
1916 10463
1915 9223
1914 8145
1913 8106
1912 8598
1911 8430
1910 7129
1909 5552
1908 4465
1907 3807
1906 3862
1905 3642
1904 3211
1903 3087
1902 3281
1901 1858
1900 3817

 

With a world population that has doubled since the 60s, and so many more countries allowing pro boxing since the Iron Curtain came down... it's difficult not to conclude, that the talent pool has been growing ever larger over the last 50 years. Which seems to be backed up by the numbers posted by Ovid.

 

This cannot be right. I think more fights are recorded today. I'm sure Peter Wilson wrote some data in the 1950s showing a drop off in numbers from the 1920s and 1930s with the closure of small halls after TV. In the 1920s nearly all young men could take a fight in what today would be smokers for some loose change. Fight clubs in every town back then. Extra circuits for all levels of ability. A modest living could be made for most small timers. boxing was a job, not just a part time thing it is for 97% of participants now.

 

Interesting how in 1930 you had the highest number ever at 36138, presumably because the depression and a lot of people out of work.. Then the number drops to less than half of that by 1940 at 15891 possibly due to guys being shipped off to war. Also the numbers seem to extremely low in the 1960's and 70's. For the US this might be justifiable due to vietnam as well as an increasingly larger number of people going to college, but If these numbers reflect a world wide census of boxers, then I wonder what was going on in the rest of the world to drive these figures down.

 

There were more in the 30's.

 

higher quanity lower quality in my opinion

 

No one cares about the 2-10 scrub breadline fighters. Today's fighters are more professional, cream of the crop type.

 

1960's to 1970's were the lowest, who would think those numbers were also low pre-1920, makes you wonder