hi, before i start my thread, i am going to say that pro boxing is much more fun to watch then amauter and i do think you need have a greater skill level to be a good pro then to be a good amauter....and in many ways it is a different game and is a harder one ....that is why an amauter boxer turns pro and gets to develop further as a fighter....and you can see how they get better and better as they progress in their pro careers now that being said, if you look at certain fighters and i will use the example of ruslan chagaev, that by just watching them you kinda tell they might have gotten worse.... watch him as amauter http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4KFsDIV3zI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4O7lqgd3vB8 now as a pro http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gg-c9hm-Q_I now to be it looks like his skillset and general ring movement looks worse there are other examples, but i chose this one.... do you guys think that maybe certain coaches try to hard to change the fighter....maybe getting him away from his good habits?
A trainer can't teach a fighter imagination or will. Chagaev showed neither against Wlad. Ruslan stood right in Wlads line of fire, head up. No bobbing and weaving to get inside.The so called "White Tyson" didn't try feinting , or any other feasable tactic that someone on his level should have mastered. After a few rounds of total non success, the pudgy former amatuer champ gave up, although he went a couple of more rounds just going through the motions. A trainer can only do so much. The rest is left to the fighter who has to decide if he's really going to try to win, or just show up for a payday, and quit when things don't go his way.
Young amatuers are motivated to learn as an amatuer purely for the sake of learning. The life of an amatuer is much more simple. Pros you got millions of dollars and inumerable other distractions and some are able to ignore it and focus and some aren't.
to flatnose, i agree 100 percent with you but if you watch the fight with savon chagaev is moving his head, and working well on everything against a great fighter with wlad you can say he was coming off an injury etc but it is clear that in most fights as pro he does not show the same skill level i just brought the coach, as an example there has to be a reason why some of these guys look less skilled as pros
Am boxing has been destroyed, i pay no attention to olympic medals anymore as in the pro game it means nothing. Am boxing used to be a lot more like the pros, just with a vest and less rounds, today with overly officiated standing 8 counts, head guards and a terrible scoring system that doesnt award anything for controlled aggression, body shots or combination punching, we have a sport that is totally different. The whole amateur system needs a shake up.
