I don't like talented boxers wasting their time in the amateurs.

Lomachenko won 2 gold medals. He waited 5 years after winning the 1st one but went back for another one.

Lewis prioritized the gold medal so he was willing to sacrifice 4 years of his pro career trying to obtain it.

Neither one of us would do the same in their shoes but its pretty self explanatory why they did what they did. They valued just the chance at a gold medal or 2x gold medal more than the 4 years in the pros.

 

Some folks don't view competing for their countries as a waste. There is no right or wrong. It's no different from someone staying at a job that under pays them but they value work life balance over money.

 

I didn't say it was "wrong", this isn't a matter of ethics. I'm just saying if your goal to become an ATG pro boxer, spending the majority of your 20's in the amateurs is kind of goofy unless you need the experience.

 

In many countries you make more money as an amateur fighting for your national team than as a pro. That's the reason why.

Not every pro makes millions when they fight.

 

yeah he’s such a weird case. He was well ready to start a pro career. He didn’t need a gold to do it. Led to the situation of him reaching his boxing prime long after his physical prime, probably never getting quite as good as he could have been.

 

Well if boxing does in fact lose it's Olympic status in the long term this will change. Because governments will strip funding away from boxing so amateurs won't be able to make a living as an amateur and be forced to turn pro earlier. But that will also mean the quality of those turning pro will be inferior to past eras as they won't have had the access to facilities and funding all the top pros had before turning pro.