How many amateur bouts should a boxer have before they is ready to turn pro?

Dawson actually took up boxing when he was young

'Discuss your decision to choose boxing, and how your athleticism in basketball (and other sports) helped shape you into a World Champion.

Chad Dawson - “I decided to take up the sport of boxing because my father was a boxer and he introduced me to the sport when I was 4 years old. He couldn’t take his career to the next level because he had a family to look after. I have six siblings, four brothers and two sisters, so you could imagine how tough it was trying to make ends meet for him. My brothers and I spent a lot of time training in the gym with my dad and I fell in love with the sport at a young age. Once I started fighting amateur, I really believed I could be one of the best, because it was such a natural feeling for me to be in the ring.'


'Dawson, the son of a prizefighter, said he began boxing at 8 years old, following in his father’s footsteps. He began to study under Brian Clark, the trainer at Ring One gym, and fell in love with the sport.


The gym provided a home away from home, Dawson said — something to do after school each day and a place of refuge when he needed it.

“I want kids to feel that same experience that I felt — having a place to come. If something’s not working over here, you can always come here and feel wanted and loved,” said Dawson. “I always had that growing up.”

“I’m a fighter. I’ve been doing this since I was 8 years old; my father was a professional fighter. It runs in my blood. A year ago, I was sure I wasn’t going to fight again — a year ago. But now, I’ve got the little itch, like I want to fight again,” said Dawson. “I just sit back and watch fights on TV, watching guys fight in the ring, I really believe I could beat these guys. But we’ll see.”

 

Hasim Rahman didn't take up the sport until he was 20 y/o and he only had 10 amateur fights. By the time he'd had 40 fights he'd fought Lennox Lewis x 2, Holyfield, Corrie Sanders, David Tua, John Ruiz, and Oleg Maskaev among others. Conversely, by the time Bootleg Dorticos, who had 35 amateur fights and won bronze at the Olympics, had 40 fights he'd only fought OAP Ortiz who was a couple of weeks shy of his 39th birthday and Bermane 'B.Sick' Stiverne.