Boxers Who Started Late

[Tony1244]

What boxers started very late but had good careers. Ron Lyle and Bonecrusher Smith come to mind.

Anyone have a list of boxers who didn't lace up gloves until they were 15, 20 or 25 and still did well?

[Ambling Alp II]

Ken Norton started late. He was in his 20s before starting his amateur career. He was 24 when he had his first pro fight. Marciano didn't have his first pro fight until he was 24 as well.

[Tony1244]

I don't know when Marciano started his amateur career, but if Norton didn't lace on gloves until his 20s he did astonishingly well.

[DrDuke]

Ray Mercer. He started amateur (!) boxing in 23, when he was in the army. And in a couple of years he won the Olympics. And then he shook the HW division in the pros pretty well, picked up WBO, had some really good scalps.

[Caractacus]

Earnie Shavers ( born either August 1944 or 1945) didn't lace up gloves until 1969
he was first an amateur then turned pro in November of that year).

[Controversial]

Sergio Martinez took up amatuer boxing at 20 I believe, almost 23 when he turned pro. Carl Froch was 25 when he turned pro.

[Caractacus]

Jess Willard "the Pottawtomie Giant"born December 1881 turned pro at age 29 yrs on February 1911.

[bwu]

Dewey Bozella debuted at 52.

Herbert (Doc) Odom debuted at 23, lost one fight, then took off the next 23 years and won six fights in a row.

Mickey Rourke (ugh) was 38 when he began his pro career.

Mark Gastineau was about 34 at his start.

[Duran1970]

Deontay Wilder

[jamamb]

qawi didnt start until 25 i think


qawi.....what a natural hardcase he was. such a late start, no amateur fights, and giving up so much height usually, yet wins world titles at lhw and cw, giving hell to so many

hes probably one of those freaks who couldve stepped into a gym the first day and beaten pros

[jamamb]

haseem rahman didnt start boxing until he was 20.

tony thompson started at 27 i think

and not that they had great careers of accomplishments, but some favourite chinny bangers of mine from the early-mid 2000s, derrick jefferson and davarryl williamson, didnt start till boxing until 25-26 or something i think. both won national amateur titles and then had very fun pro careers

[jamamb]

and i dont really think of 15 as that late of a start, but since op included that..... usyk didnt start until he was 15. he was already on the powerhouse ukranian national amateur team just a few years later

15 defo aint an early start, but you can start at that age and then turn pro with nearly 10 years amateur experience and good number of amateur bouts while your still in your early 20s. if your in a country where the sport is popular and the amateur system is strong you could have around 80 fights or so at 22 or 23

aj, wilder, and fury all didnt start until that age or later i think. fury was around 15-16, aj 18, wilder 19 or 20

[bwu]

Harold Brazier was almost 27 when he turned pro.

Claude "Humphrey" McBride was 34.

[HomicideHenry]

Me...... 24 ((just kidding))

I think one of the oldest pro debuters has to be Herbert Slade who was 32 years old. Forget the BoxRec record on the man--- they're including nothing more than exhibition bouts--- his official debut was against John L. Sullivan. BoxRec trying to "beef up" early boxing records and nothing more.

Conor McGregor was 29 years old when he made his debut against Floyd Mayweather.

[tiny_acres]

Larry Holmes first stepped into a gym at the age of 19.

[banjo]

Didn't Anthony Mundine start late? I'm sure he was a Rugby player before that.

[ClivePatrickLyons]

Didn't Anthony Mundine start late? I'm sure he was a Rugby player before that.

Anthony Mundine was on about a Million year playing professional Rugby League when he quit to turn pro Boxer at 25 years of age with only 2 amateur fight's under his belt it was a HUGE risk to take some said silly but The Man made about $30M.

[Bodyshot3]

Hopkins.

[Tony1244]

Hopkins.

How late did he start? Unlike Shavers, Wilder, or Lyle, Hopkins did not rely on power. That's not to say Hopkins had no power or say Lyle had no boxing skill.

[orbtastic]

While Qawi and Lyle lacked ama careers it's fair to say they probably had as good an education you're likely to get on a prison boxing team. Probably really tough sparring too. Same with Hopkins.

Qawi was incarcerated at the notorious Rahway prison which had a pretty extensive boxing program.

I think prison also retarded Liston's career slightly, although he didn't do too badly.

Reggie Johnson was in his early 20s when he turned pro, he had a long, long ama career though. I remmeber when he nailed Guthrie, he made him look ancient. I seemed to remember he was one of those late bloomer types but it seems not.

SKY always made a big deal out of Skelton turning pro late but I know he had some sort of K1 or kickboxing background.

I know Toney had an ama career of sorts and toyed with football but he turned over quite late. Tarver had a long ass ama career but was nearly 30 when he turned pro.

Jersey Joe Walcott had to be mid-late 20s when he turned pro.

Nate Cambell
Adonis Stevenson

[Ambling Alp II]

Walcott was only 16 when he turned pro. Some interested points you made though.

[Ambling Alp II]

The legendary Jean Pierre Coopman was 26 before he began his illustrious career.

[Bodyshot3]

How late did he start? Unlike Shavers, Wilder, or Lyle, Hopkins did not rely on power. That's not to say Hopkins had no power or say Lyle had no boxing skill.

I think Hopkins was close to 25 with a debut in October 1988.............Bernard had 'done time' serving 5 years of an 18 year sentence.......and would turn pro just months after his release.

[Jacopodb]

What boxers started very late but had good careers. Ron Lyle and Bonecrusher Smith come to mind.

Anyone have a list of boxers who didn't lace up gloves until they were 15, 20 or 25 and still did well?

Rocky Marciano (pro debut at 24), Bernard Hopkins (pro debut at 23) and Giacobbe Fragomeni (first entered a boxing club at 21) all started relatively late.