Burned Out from Too Many Amateur Fights?

Clinton Jackson I believed had over 300 fights. I remember reading how he said he stayed in the amateur game too long and was burned out as a pro. His fight with Fletcher took too much out of each guy.

 

Errol Christie.Brilliant amateur had hundreds of fights maybe took its toll.RIP

 

Of the current crop:
Katie Taylor and Zhou Shiming (considerably Zhou). Despite Zhou having a very amateur style, he was definitely past prime before he even turned pro.

 

Bernard Taylor had around 400 fights, and that in part was probably why he didn't do great at the pro level.

 

Still was able to ko Calvin Grove in '90 at age 33, though. He actually had a decent pro career, almost beat Pedroza was able to remain relevant enough to get a title shot in '93 against John Molina, but was past it by then.

 

Is it fair to add Sugar Ray Seals to this list? Over 350 amateur fights ..Olympic gold but no world title or was he even close to one I can't remember now

 

Solis. I think he didn't care anymore because he stepped striaght into money and access. He could've been a much better pro if he add to earn his rep and paychecks.

 

True. Funny, I thought he edged Eusebio, but all that running around the ring didn't help. Bernard and James Tillis did two of the biggest tank jobs for hometown fighters that I ever seen.

 

I think he was being thought of as a future champion but his only real claim to fame was his draw with Hagler and then he started going blind towards the end....detached retinas I believe

I think of all the near professional styles of the Cubans like Teofilio Stevens who fought at the highest level for years and wondered how a pro career would have turned out he clearly had the talent to stay in the top of the amateurs at the world level

 

How about that Russian that had Teo's number most of the time. I forget his name

 

Vysotsky was the Russian that had his number....I think about guys like Lazlo Papp as well when we think about the great fighters we missed out on that would have given us some great fights remember when the idea of Ali vs Stevenson had been talked about?

I think when we have professionals with minimal amateur experience 20 fights or less and certainly not world class pedigrees like Pernell Whittaker, SRL, Lomanchenko, Howard Davis Jr, and Rigondeaux that become top notch world champions they show in a way a talent beyond the experience.

 

You had me until you downplayed substance abuse as a factor in Curry's decline and your absurd idea that Jacobs beat GGG.

Credibility is hard to gain and easy to lose.

 

Wladimir Klitschko had 145 amateur fights and is among the 5 greatest heavyweights to bestride this green planet.

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I remember the whole Stevenson Ali talk I was a bit young then. Stevenson as a pro would have been very interesting. Papp was already in his late 30's when he turned pro. Now I would have loved to have seen a prime Papp in the pro ranks.
Big fan of Papp. I wrote to him many yrs ago. He wrote me a nice letter and personalized a pic to me. I thought that was a first class act.

 

Great post.

This is why it disturbs me so much when I see stars viciously beating on sparring partners, or completely overmatched no-hopers being fed to rising stars to receive sustained beatings and concussions for paltry sums. It's a shame that this stuff seems to thrill so many boxing fans.