Number of pro fighters today compared with the past

cream of the crop type but fighting slim pickings... are they that good or the only good

 

Far too many MISSING Fighters and fight records.

you can double, at least, some of these numbers at certain periods in history, with the amount of fighters and fights that were participated in... this is also true of ALL periods, there will be thousands of missing fighters and fights, but especially as you start going back beyond the 50s & 60s.

 

You sure it was quite that ubiquitous? I'll wager it was more popular than it is now, but I don't know that every Tom, ****, and Harry tried his hand at it. My grandparent's were alive back then and they didn't give a **** about boxing. They were much more interested in golf and football. And my father was more into chess and equestrian dressage. Also, maybe those smokers were more popular on the East Coast in the big cities than they were in the heart of the country. I just can't picture this boxing utopia where everyone has a couple of four rounders under their belt.

 

That's a bit complicated.
Obviously we don't know for sure who of the amateurs today will turn pro tomorrow anyway. And perhaps they don't literally get "thrown in" to the pros, it's generally a choice.

We could ask a similar question in reverse.
ie. "How many career amateurs a hundred years ago would have been encouraged/motivated to turn pro these days ?"

 

You must be joking.
I've seen guys on television with verifiable winning records, looking like they've never trained, and taking dives. It can't ever have been worse than that.

Some of these modern bums look like they could do with a few months on the breadline, especially heavyweights.
Or maybe do some manual labour.

One thing modern boxing has taught us is how many FAT crack and heroins addicts there really are.

 

No, I wasn't saying that.
I'm saying there a some very poor excuses for fighters in the modern age, even on television - and with winning records on boxrec - which suggests the guys they beat were even worse or even bigger dive-artists. Cripples and junkies I suppose.
I'm saying, things could never have been much worse than that.

 

US states issued 8-10,000 boxing licences per annum in the 1920s and 1930s.

It's about 2500 now.

 

Understood. My point being that so many potential pros are remaining amateur for a very long time. And we see upper level prospects not even turning pro or turning pro too late to maximize their talents.

 

Yeah, that might well be true. I think it would be almost impossible to quantify, gather data and come up with a clear answer on current trends, and certainly I don't know how the current trends compare with those of the past.
Even the answer to the OP's question - a far simpler one - is probably beyond us.

 

I'm talking about England. East London specifically but I know all major city's were the same between the wars. The local baths were used to stage local fights. Too many fights and places to stage them. Hundreds of fights taking place each night. That is not including boxing booths, tent fights and pit fights. They could not possibly all be recorded or reported on. They were very, very small time. New York certainly had a small time scene where thousands of fights would not have warranted reporting. Charlie Goldman claimed to have had 500 fights. He was English born too.

 

How many did the Soviet Union issue?

 

It used to be a gentleman's sport full of liquor and opium, and the mob had too much dignity to test for such things.

 

So you think that unsanctioned street fights fought by nonprofessionals in the back of a bar should count toward a fighter's record? Then Johnny Tapia, Roberto Duran, and Gennady Golovkin should probably each have about fifty more fights on their records.

That reminds me of how Rickson Gracie an early founder of mma claims to have been undefeated in 400 fights. Meanwhile, his father Helio retorts that you don't count sparring in the gym and he has 11 wins with zero losses in the ring.

 

What consisted as sanctioned though? The cities were full of small hall promotions. Paying audiences and boxers punching for pay. Guys fighting every week. Even complete records for an obscure fighter on boxrec can't tell you the entire card of fighters on the same evening as a recorded bout. Nobody ever fought on a show that staged just one fight. What bout the preliminary bouts?

A guy could turn up with some kit and get a fight on the night on real promotions. Even Ali fought a guy nobody could find as late as 1961. Nobody ever did find out who Jimmy Robinson really was.