Quote Originally Posted by p4pking View Post
What is all the ?!?!?!?! about? Cubans and Soviet Russians who never wanted for anything, is that a joke I get your point about the coaching, equipment and caliber of a select few guys, but you seriously don't think they would have rather earned some real money? The fact they couldn't is inherently about as unprofessional as it gets. I googled it out of curiosity, and Telifio Stevenson and Savon were as far as I can tell the only boxers to ever medal in more than one olympics. Outside of Cuba and perhaps Russia, there are virtually no boxers to even compete more than once.

Of course there are terrible pros and mismatches happen all day, many commissions are woefully incompetent, but in theory they are still there to put a stop to that. The amateurs have tournaments where you may fight anyone and have to qualify that way.
Just so we are clear you're saying that earning money makes you a professional rather than having a sport as your vocation (which is what Stevenson and Savon did)? I know PLENTY of "professional boxers" who have jobs outside the ring. Remember that Glen Johnson was still working outside of boxing (construction I believe) before RJJ fought him which allowed for Glen to focus solely on boxing.

As for your question "but you seriously don't think they would have rather earned some real money?", Teofilo Stevenson at least was a true Commie scoffing at the idea of fighting Ali saying: "What good is 1 million dollars compared to the love of 8 million Cubans?"....the government subsidizes those athletes in a manner which is as professional as you can get!


Felix Savon was able to JUST BOX....how many US amateurs are able to do that? How many British amateurs are able to do that? If they want to allow pros to fight in the Olympics then go ahead, it'll only make the Golden Gloves and Goodwill Games the new must have prizes for the amateurs. Guillermo Rigondeaux won 2 Gold medals, Lazlo Papp won 3 Olympic Gold medals, Vasyl Lomachenko won 2 Gold medals, Zou Shimming won 2 Gold medals and 1 Bronze medal, Paddy Barnes won 2 Bronze medals, Artur Olech won 2 Silver medals, Maikro Romero won 1 Gold and 1 Bronze medal, Istvan Kovacs won 1 Gold and 1 Bronze medal, Mario Kindelan won 2 Gold medals, Jerzy Kulej won 2 Gold medals, Hector Vinent won 2 Gold medals, Roniel Iglesias won 1 Gold and 1 Bronze medal, Oleg Saitov won 2 Gold medals, Juan Hernandez Sierra won 2 Silver medals, Ariel Hernandez won 2 Gold medals, Zbigniew Pietrzykowski won 1 Silver and 1 Bronze medal, Soren Peterson won 2 Silver medals....it happens quite a bit actually.