Quote Originally Posted by bzkfn View Post
I'm interested to get the views of you guys on this, as when a fighter starts out with very little amateur experience, people are quick to suggest he won't go far, but when a fighter is a top amateur turning pro, people expect that to translate into the pros.

I can think of plenty of examples of top amateurs who didn't make it as a pro, and the recent thread about Anthony Ogogo got me thinking. So my question is, how much stock do you put into a quality amateur record for a fighter turning pro?
A huge majority of the "experts"; trainers, boxing scribes, announcers, commentators, analysts, managers, boxers, fans and promoters say amateur experience is good. The longer the better.
I would say it's like every job, the more experience you have the better you will do.
All the experts are looking at the amateurs with good records just like employers look at college grads, they're looking for people with a proven record, those who stick with it. That's where they want to put their time and money.
Sometimes it doesn't work out, I'll start the list with Audley Harrison because his name seems to piss off all the UK boxing fans. Add as many as you can.