We are talking pro careers here mate. They are essentially different sports. If you were the even out both realms it probably would be pretty close. Kostya was an excellent am..one of the best ever at his weight but he had flaws that never allowed him to become one of the greatest pros ever..a great no doubt but not as great as JCC.
You do realize when Tszyu boxed it was 3x3 and the scoring system was a tad different, right? And besides, you're beginning to get into things that appeal more to personal preference. The fact is he demonstrated a great amount of skill in the amateurs, particularly in dismantling Vernon Forrest.
the gold medal recognizes you as number one in the world, in the pros there are 4 "world champions". how is pro's better?
tszyu is obviously an exception as he dominated in the pro's too. sure he did get beat but nearly all good fighters have been beaten at some stage.
So 270 amatuer fights don't count at all? Have you ever been punched in the face or sparred with headgear? A) You get your feet outside your opponents and it is VERY hard to see hooks coming in. B) Headgear in some studies has been shown really only stop cuts more than lessen the blow. I'm NOT saying that amatuer boxing is "better" or to be compared to pro's exaclty - But dude - You get caught with a KO shot in the amatuers its not that different to getting caught in the pro's - Ref's just stop fights or give standing 8's moreso than in pros. Tszyu boxed from a similar age as Joe, but has far more experience. I would take Tszyu over Forrest in the 91 amatuers as more quality a win then Calzaghe Byron Mitchell!
When did I say that amateur fights don't count at all? If you get hurt in amateur boxing, the referee is going to stop the action to make sure you are alright and then let you continue. That's the difference between getting knocked out or surviving to collect your win on points. This is not debatable, there is a very large difference between amateur and professional fighting.
Tszyu-Chavez in their primes is very difficult to predict. Tszyu is one of the few fighters who had the power to drop Chavez (even in his prime), but Chavez's pressure would trouble Kostya. I'd probably favour Chavez, but wouldn't be shocked if Kostya pulled off a points upset with a knockdown along the way.
well lets examine your statement then - Go with me a little on this - Lets say for arguments sake that all the fights Joe fought went the distance - They didn't -But for ease of mathematics. Calzaghe - 120 Amatuer Fights x 3 rounds = 360 46 pro fights x 12 rounds = 552 912 in rounds of competition boxing Tszyu 270 (259-11) x 3 rounds = 810 34 x 12 = 408 1218 rounds of competition boxing Take off a few rounds for each guy in the case of KO's - No matter how you slice it - You can't take away the experience and quality of their work IMO.
Yes you can. The scoring is different, the fights are shorter. Three four rounds fights DOES NOT equal a twelve round fight. This discussion is idiotic.
Who said anything about comparing 4 x 3 minute amatuer rounds to a pro fight - Don't put Tszyu's era of amatuers in with this years olympics. It's about overall experience and discounting Tszyu's amatuer one - But I would say - Calzaghe - V Hanlon KO 1 was NOT as full on a fight as Tszyu w3 Forrest for example.
One of my favorite fights EVER. Chavez showing his true cheating colors there and getting completely thrashed and knocked down face front then stopped. Loved how he was crying "I failed Don King" after the fight too. Classic fight.
Why are you even bringing Calzaghe into this? You are the one who introduced the idiot analysis, ala "120 Amatuer Fights x 3 rounds = 360 46 pro fights x 12 rounds = 552".