BoxRec

Does an Olympic Medal make a difference anymore to a pro boxers career?

I see Irish Boxer Joe Ward has signed with Times Square Boxing and I wonder was it not worth waiting as Ward is a quality boxer and would have a good chance of medal success at the Olympics. Winning a medal must boost your household name and give you a bigger paycheck?

There is some doubt if there will even be boxing at the next Olympics but this should be sorted within the next month, but was the wait not worth it.

Perhaps going on Love island instead is now the way to do it

It Helped Make Sugar Ray Leonard and Oscar De La Hoya the most marketable fighters of their era.

It didn’t do AJ any harm or Audley Harrison, definitely helped make them big cross over stars

While an Olympic medal is not quite as impactful on a fighter's pro career as it once was, it still matters. A look at today's top fighters shows quite a few of them with Olympic medals. Feel free to let me know if I missed anyone.

CURRENT FIGHTERS
Oleksandr Usyk: Gold in 2012
Vasyl Lomachenko: Gold in 2008 & 2012
GGG: Silver in 2004
Deontay Wilder: Bronze in 2008
Guillermo Rigondeaux: Gold in 2000 & 2004
Yordenis Ugas: Bronze in 2008
Anthony Joshua: Gold in 2012
Alex Povetkin: Gold in 2004
Amir Khan: Silver in 2004
Luke Campbell: Gold in 2012
Ryota Murata: Gold in 2012


RECENT FIGHTERS
Andre Ward: Gold in 2004
Floyd Mayweather: Bronze in 1996
Wlad Klitschko: Gold in 1996
Antonio Tarver: Bronze in 1996

Medalists from World Championships have made lots of impact as pros as well, but I dont have time to list all of them!!

Your Boxing Club wrote: ↑18 Jun 2019, 01:56 Does an Olympic Medal make a difference anymore to a pro boxers career?

I see Irish Boxer Joe Ward has signed with Times Square Boxing and I wonder was it not worth waiting as Ward is a quality boxer and would have a good chance of medal success at the Olympics. Winning a medal must boost your household name and give you a bigger paycheck?

There is some doubt if there will even be boxing at the next Olympics but this should be sorted within the next month, but was the wait not worth it.

Perhaps going on Love island instead is now the way to do it

Anthony Joshua wouldn't have become a superstar in the UK without winning his gold medal at the London 2012 Olympics.

A superstar that somehow really needs to have an absolutely massive entourage, with most of them appearing to be his "mates" around his own age.

I agree with you all and I'm all for the Olympics and think winning a medal is fantastic. So I don't understand why these top amateurs can't wait 12 months to achieve this. Something they have I assume been training for since they started boxing, then just as it approaches leave the Amateurs

In twelve months what would they gain, have 3 or 4 pro fights, then be at the point where they would have started a pro career but have an Olympic medal to there name. So I don't understand the reason behind Ward not waiting.

didnt help AJ stay on his feet ..

Best Coast wrote: ↑18 Jun 2019, 03:00 While an Olympic medal is not quite as impactful on a fighter's pro career as it once was, it still matters. A look at today's top fighters shows quite a few of them with Olympic medals. Feel free to let me know if I missed anyone.

CURRENT FIGHTERS
Oleksandr Usyk: Gold in 2012
Vasyl Lomachenko: Gold in 2008 & 2012
GGG: Silver in 2004
Deontay Wilder: Bronze in 2008
Guillermo Rigondeaux: Gold in 2000 & 2004
Yordenis Ugas: Bronze in 2008
Anthony Joshua: Gold in 2012
Alex Povetkin: Gold in 2004
Amir Khan: Silver in 2004
Luke Campbell: Gold in 2012
Ryota Murata: Gold in 2012


RECENT FIGHTERS
Andre Ward: Gold in 2004
Floyd Mayweather: Bronze in 1996
Wlad Klitschko: Gold in 1996
Antonio Tarver: Bronze in 1996

Medalists from World Championships have made lots of impact as pros as well, but I dont have time to list all of them!!

How you gunna omit The Bronze Bomber?

Impractical Poster wrote: ↑18 Jun 2019, 12:05 How you gunna omit The Bronze Bomber?

He's on the current list. Look again.

I can't count how many top US amateurs that I knew who did not wait around for the next Olympic cycle and turned pro instead. The problem with the US boxers and it could be similar reasons for other countries where the amateur program does not get big government funding is that the boxers mostly come from poor backgrounds and when a promoter comes along and offers more money than the boxer has ever seen, it's hard to turn down. It usually does not work out where they go on to great pro careers without the Olympic experience. Most would have made more money to get more international experience and name recognition and start out out getting bigger paydays from the get go like Ray Leonard and Roy Jones. Gervonte Davis has done well without the Olympics and he would have made the team but for so many it does not work out. Right now there is a light heavy out of New Jersey, Khalil Coe who this past winter KO'd a 2 time Olympic gold medal winner from Cuba in some tournament in Europe. This kid has skills and the promoters are after him. The executive director of USA Boxing told me he has had meetings with Coe's coach and promoters trying to work out a deal for them to let him be until after 2020.
I'm no longer involved on the international level for USAB but I remember many times being at a world level tournament and the US boxers getting screwed by judges and the boxers are like eff this, I'm turning pro. I might as well get paid if I'm going to get screwed.

Used to be great for marketing a newly turned pro, but I think (for the USA) it's not a big deal anymore. Probably because USA Boxing hasn't produced many Olympic medals in the past couple decades. UK invested a lot into amateur boxing prior to the London Olympics and the ROI was huge.

oogiebe wrote: ↑18 Jun 2019, 12:11 Used to be great for marketing a newly turned pro, but I think (for the USA) it's not a big deal anymore. Probably because USA Boxing hasn't produced many Olympic medals in the past couple decades. UK invested a lot into amateur boxing prior to the London Olympics and the ROI was huge.

When AIBA changed the scoring system to computer it was terrible for US boxers mostly because the US coaches did not adjust to the system as most other countries did. There was certain ways to box to the system to get more points and US boxers didn't do it. They kept their pro style that was taught to them as most would be going pro. Well thank goodness AIBA got rid of that system and now uses the 10 pt pro scoring. USA is doing a lot better on the international level right now. Two big reasons for that are that USA hired an excellent coach out of Ireland, Billy Walsh who was their Olympic coach. Ireland like the UK has a great high performance plan which Billy started in the US and he gets them to a lot of international tournaments not just world championships and dual matches but lots of smaller tournaments in Europe.

JMac wrote: ↑18 Jun 2019, 12:28 When AIBA changed the scoring system to computer it was terrible for US boxers mostly because the US coaches did not adjust to the system as most other countries did. There was certain ways to box to the system to get more points and US boxers didn't do it. They kept their pro style that was taught to them as most would be going pro. Well thank goodness AIBA got rid of that system and now uses the 10 pt pro scoring. USA is doing a lot better on the international level right now. Two big reasons for that are that USA hired an excellent coach out of Ireland, Billy Walsh who was their Olympic coach. Ireland like the UK has a great high performance plan which Billy started in the US and he gets them to a lot of international tournaments not just world championships and dual matches but lots of smaller tournaments in Europe.

I hope we see a resurgence of amateur boxing in the US.

oogiebe wrote: ↑18 Jun 2019, 12:07 He's on the current list. Look again.

Oops

Thanks oog

Impractical Poster wrote: ↑18 Jun 2019, 12:30 Oops

Thanks oog

No worries bruh!

Olympic medal, especially gold, mean a LOT even in pro boxing. Many olympians was dismantled in pro ranks, but many of them became very succesful pros. Speaking of that, World amateur champioships medals are very underrated, which is sad. Promoters should also seeking for guys from Olympic games and world championships who does not got medals. Some of them are beasts.

Canelo, Crawford, Spence, Inoue, Kovalev, etc. are doing just fine without medals. One good example from a recent past is Froch.

It certainly helps. It means you're gonna be more looked after by a promoter, and pushed into higher paid fights at a quicker pace.

Basically all the current noteworthy women boxers are Olympic Medalists except for the few that pre-date Women in the Olympics.

It's not impossible to become a star in Boxing without it, but you definitely become a star a lot faster with it, and probably a bigger one too because your name will have been in the people's minds for a lot longer.

Of course it does.
Unfortunately some fighters who may have had the chance to go for the Olympic games didn't have the opportunity due to financial circumstances. It's a huge commitment.

KiwiRider wrote: ↑18 Jun 2019, 15:26 Of course it does.
Unfortunately some fighters who may have had the chance to go for the Olympic games didn't have the opportunity due to financial circumstances. It's a huge commitment.

I think that’s the issue - limited funding and dedicating 4 years for an Olympics - if you win or get a medal your massively marketable but with money on offer more & more are turning Pro for the cash on the table and not waiting.

..in countries I'm familiar with being an Olympic champ is like being a national hero...helps you kick off your professional career.. does it guarantee anything? I don't think so..

It matters, it just might not seem it because Americans don't win medals and Americans don't care about boxing. I don't even know if I could find it if I wanted to watch it.