How would have Teófilo Stevenson done if he turned pro after the 1980 Olympics?

Virtually impossible to say. He could have gone on to being a world champion, then again he may have fizzled and gone nowhere. The successes and failures of amateur careers are usually little or no indication of what a fighter becomes as a professional.

 

He would have had many tough fights with the contenders of the day but I don't doubt that he would do well against them. Stillm there's a big difference between three rounds and fifteen rounds.

It's too bad we never saw TS vs Weaver, TS vs John Tate or even TS vs Berbick.

TS vs Holmes would have been a super fight at the pro level.

 

He would've been every bit as successful as another Olympic great, Audley Harrison, who of course became the WBF world heavyweight champion.

 

Teofilo Stevenson dominated the amateur HW scene for a long, long time. The earlier three Olympic HW champs all became world champs in the pros - (Ali, Frazier and Foreman - though Ali was actually a LHW in the Olympics, he was only eighteen). So it will be wrong to write Stevenson off.

I have no doubt that he would have done really, really well. Would he have been world champ? That's the question.

Had he turned pro after winning his first gold medal he would have had to contend with Ali, Foreman and Frazier. I may not be willing to put my money on Stevenson against peak versions of the above mentioned three but had Teofilo taken his time to develop himself in the pros before challenging any of them (say around 1976, 1977), he might have had a real chance against them.

Had Stevenson turned pro after winning his second gold medal and took the same time to develop himself, he would have had to contend with Larry Holmes to become undisputed world champ. Again I would be hesitant to bet on Tefilo against Holmes mainly because Larry proved himself in the pros - which Teofilo never did. But I am sure that Stevenson would have given Larry real competition.

Towards the *** end of his career in the amteurs he would be too old to achieve much in the pros had he turned pro at that stage.

 

Stevenson took out Tate with one punch in the 1976 Olympics.

My take is that Stevenson was the best amateur prospect I have seen. That does not mean he would have succeeded in the pros, but he would certainly have had an excellent shot.

 

we are in 100% agreement old fogey.

 

Not that good.Page and Holmes would beat him, and Cooney would stop him in a couple of rounds.In addition, Tate and Dokes would get their revenge on him.