Is amatuer boxing still good learning?

[Boxingmad]

Not all the great amateurs have made the grade as pros and I'm sure there are a fair number of pros who started out as raw novices.
I think the amateurs are certainly a good starting point to learn the basics of boxing but the pros demand a different style of fighting which the amateurs might not always do. Marvin Hagler wasn't an amateur star but I believe he did win a US national title, either the then AAA/AAU title or a Golden Gloves championship but turned pro very quietly and had to rack up 40 or 50 wins before getting a title shot. However the really good amateurs do tend to do well - De La Hoya, PBF, Sugar Ray Leonard. DLH & SRL were Olympic champions & PBF was a bronze medallist. Roy Jones was a silver medallist and folk like Pernell Whitaker, Meldrick Taylor, Evander Holyfield were Olympic stars too.

[bridportboxer]

Not all the great amateurs have made the grade as pros and I'm sure there are a fair number of pros who started out as raw novices.
I think the amateurs are certainly a good starting point to learn the basics of boxing but the pros demand a different style of fighting which the amateurs might not always do. Marvin Hagler wasn't an amateur star but I believe he did win a US national title, either the then AAA/AAU title or a Golden Gloves championship but turned pro very quietly and had to rack up 40 or 50 wins before getting a title shot. However the really good amateurs do tend to do well - De La Hoya, PBF, Sugar Ray Leonard. DLH & SRL were Olympic champions & PBF was a bronze medallist. Roy Jones was a silver medallist and folk like Pernell Whitaker, Meldrick Taylor, Evander Holyfield were Olympic stars too.

I have no doubt 10 - 15 years ago the ams were a good start, but was the computer scoring being used to the same extent or at all for that matter? Back in the days when Calzaghe was fighting Darren Dorrington in the ABA's the ams were much tougher, and a lot closer to the pro game than they are now.

[jamesmcdonnell]

A world class amateur would beat a good pro over first 4 rds.
Amir said he could of beaten Floyd over 4 when he first turned over and most great fighters were great Amateurs themselves.

Amir is out of his mind then.

[locoxelbox]

The amateur game is much more different than the pros nowadays than before. Headgear, two minute rounds, computer scoring, 20 points outscored rule, etc. However, never have so many top amateurs turned pro and done so well. The eastern europeans who have no history in pro boxing but a rich history in amateur boxing are doing really well, specially among the big guys.
Conclusion: the high level at internatioanl competitions gives the top amateurs a tremendous advantage over "club amateurs" who turn pro with a handful of am fights.
Todays top amateurs travel all over the world fighting different styles since their early teens. Remember the indivdual is above anything else. A good boxer will adapt to any system. He'll take of his headgear and still remember about throwing punches and avoiding the ones coming. It's true some never make a good adjustment but the vast majority will.

Of course growing up sparring pros in the gym will help too. But nothing compares to competition with public, nerves, etc.

[jamesmcdonnell]

The amateur game is much more different than the pros nowadays than before. Headgear, two minute rounds, computer scoring, 20 points outscored rule, etc. However, never have so many top amateurs turned pro and done so well. The eastern europeans who have no history in pro boxing but a rich history in amateur boxing are doing really well, specially among the big guys.
Conclusion: the high level at internatioanl competitions gives the top amateurs a tremendous advantage over "club amateurs" who turn pro with a handful of am fights.
Todays top amateurs travel all over the world fighting different styles since their early teens. Remember the indivdual is above anything else. A good boxer will adapt to any system. He'll take of his headgear and still remember about throwing punches and avoiding the ones coming. It's true some never make a good adjustment but the vast majority will.

Of course growing up sparring pros in the gym will help too. But nothing compares to competition with public, nerves, etc.

I think the difference these days is that it is possible to be a successful amateur without being a good fighter, as the bouts are so lacking in real hard fighting these days, especially in big competitions. Therefore, many high level amateurs don't have what it takes to being successful professionals, where an aversion to violence is a big problem.

With regard to Eastern Europe, you have to remember that most of those countries were part of the USSR, and therefore banned from professional fighting until relatively recently, now that the borders are open, the eastern europeans, like the Eastern European Jews, Irish, and Italians which emigrated to American at the turn of the century, are the new hungry young guys entering the sport, hence their success in the heavyweight division, where most of the big black talent has gone to other sports such as Baseball, Basketball and Pro Football.