if the philippines is so great at boxing, then how come they only have one dude representing them in the olympics? and he dropped out of contention after being knocked out... atsch
it also puzzles me. well, philippine amateur boxing had been in the doldrums since around 10 years now, always failing on the qualifiers. and with pac's success at pro, i don't think young boxers would want to try amateurs anymore. i am also curious about the mexican olympic team. a great country of pro boxers, are they doing well in the current olympics?
No. They had one good one, a featherweight. That's about it though. Most Mexicans turn pro at like 16.
You must be new to boxing, so let me help you. Amateur boxing such as the Olympics is made up of participants who DON'T get paid. Professional boxing such as the WBC Heavyweight Title is made up of participants who DO get paid. To give an example, Mexico, a powerhouse in PROFESSIONAL boxing, is nothing close to successful in AMATEUR boxing. In the last five Olympic Games (1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004), Mexico has won a total of only 2 boxing medals, both bronze. The Philippines, on the other hand, has won only 3, with 1 being silver. In Beijing, the Philippines only sent 1 boxer, who was the reigning silver medalist in the World Championships at light flyweight. He lost. Mexico only sent 3 boxers (compared with the USA, who sent 9, or the UK, who sent 8}. Two of the three Mexicans have been already eliminated, with one remaining in the Round of 8. Point is, the reason why these 2 countries aren't AMATEUR boxing powers is because as most of their fighters from poor backgrounds in struggling economies, their best boxers skip the AMATEUR process to turn PROFESSIONAL at 15 or 16. That's how they feed their families. Contrast that with American boxers, who for the most part can make more long-term money from the American or British public as a former Gold Medalist (see the media machine that created Oscar De La Hoya or even a hype job like Audley Harrison). Also, a lot of AMATEURS like Roy Jones, Jr. grew up in middle-class neighborhoods where there was no urgency to turn pro. I hope that answers your question.
