How many amateur fights do you need to have before you can turn pro?

Dwight Muhammad Qawi had 0 amateur fights before turning pro. Granted he was involved in the Rahway boxing system and that probably helped his cause. Either way, he wound up winning a world title well within 20 pro fights.

 

Now somebody who boxes pro and has 0 amateur fight, would that be called a Taxi driver or a Tomato can?

 

Nah Marlon B Wright the ref won that fight for Bute Blatant bias

 

Depends if he can fight, and if he's properly matched. If he's fighting another beginning pro then it's just a fight. If he's fighting a champion or a prospect, then he's a can getting set up to be knocked down.

 

None, but it helps a lot...................

 

Thanks for the clarification. I appreciate the links too.

 

I agree with your assessment of Marlon B. Wright’s “home cooking.” However, the cards were fair.

Credit to Bute for granting Andrade a rematch in a reasonable amount of time.

 

zero, but fighting right off at professional. That is rough. My friend had some fighters he trained and the matchmakers will try and use a starting fighter as a guy to be knocked out. There is no money fighting amateur and guys need money so they turn pro. Not all fighters have the luxury of having an Emanuel Steward who can pick and choose fights. Guys who start off fighting can get enough money fighting a better guy early and then might get knocked out, and that is that. Affects their whole career. Then the fighter gets used to losses and getting money, and forgets about titles and thinks like that. He becomes an opponent. Occasionally guys like Freddie Pendleton have so much heart they persevere after losses and get better.

 

Holmes had only 22? I didn't know. Some of those guys I would think had more because they were so technical. I know Hearns was something like 155-8 and had barely any knockouts. And Donald Curry had something like 300 amateur fights which some people said was the reason for his burning out.

 

Holmes understood his limitations very well. As a 7th grade drop out, who tasted blue collar life, he came to boxing with a seldom matched sense of dedication. He saw boxing as his way to a better life.

I might wrong on the exact time, but I recall reading that he spent the first 6 months In the sport being allowed to learn nothing but the jab. Most boxing people acknowledge the jab as the most essential punch. However, I think most people off the street and quite a few trainers would get bored of not throwing/seeing crosses, hooks, and uppercuts and may quit training long before they ever master a proper jab.

 

I think a lot of Mexican and Asian fighters, particularly Filipinos, come up this way. That’s also why the ones who survive the early setbacks and truly learn from their defeats become real solid professionals. “Steel sharpens steel.”

 

One of the best amateur fights you'll ever see, Pryor vs Hearns.

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There is really no need for more than 100 am fights. Its great for experience and no amount of sparring can prepare you for competition but its way overkill to have 100's and 100's of fights.

 

This.
Here is a little more info from Qwai himself.

Rob Scott: I’m one who has always felt that with boxing, whether past or present, stories are abundant. Your story is one that definitely has its place when talking about the tales of fighters. Tell us about Dwight Qawi from the start, when you were Dwight Braxton.

Dwight Qawi: I started late; 25 years old, back then that was considered old. The reason I started late was because of my brushes with the legal system and that sought of thing, and at twenty-five years old, you can’t live at home with your mother. There was a sense of urgency. I was working and surviving, but had ambition.

RS: What made you turn to the sport of boxing?

DQ: Street fighting. A guy saw my work and took me to the gym and introduced me, and I had a fight in one month with no amateur career.