Should Degale turn pro?

[Bomp]

Strike while the irons hot, plus he needs to get out of the amateur habits before they get ingrained forever.

As for his chin, impossible to gauge how much of a punch he can physically take, but he doesn't seem to like to mix it up too much, seems quite common in succesful ameteurs as the hit and run tactic is rewarded in the scoring system. Audley wanted to be heavy champ without taking a punch, and I have an inkling Khan's philosyphy is quite similar and neither has overcome that aspect of their game.

[littlebif]

he should go pro.He might stop around for London games and not win and that would be 4years wasted.

[saturday_kid]

Yeah and also he might not even make the olympics who knows what other athletes will come through.

[Ready To Rumble]

Obviousley its going to be purely down to money. I think he will turn pro, alhough his open style of fighting will need to change in the pro-ranks. Quick handspeed and think he could do well toe to toe, but only time will tell.

[Shamrock]

My heart says stay amateur and my head says turn pro. I would love it for us to have an Olympic champion defend his title at home. What a lift it would be. It would get people interested in boxing who maybe wouldn't have been.

Having said that a likely £1m to turn pro is a huge temptation, He could suffer a career ending injury in the four years between now and 2012 and then the chance of a life time is gone. The other problem is that amateur boxing is moving further and further away from pro boxing with the scoring system and the rules. I think it is becoming so much more difficult now for amateurs to convert to the proffesional arena. (see the comments about audley and Amir not liking to get hit further up in this thread).

It is now a real issue that if he stays amateur for another 4 years the process of unlearning the amateur game and learning the pro game will be difficult.

The money/sponsorship needs to be increased to compensate guys like Degale to make staying amateur a choice that will not leave him in an unstable financial position. We are way behind the majority of the rest of the world when it comes to financing our amateur heroes. Who ever is in charge of the budget needs to realise this.

26 is not too old for Degale to turn pro and to defend gold in the Olympics in your own country, without trying to sound like a cliche, is something money just can't buy.

I wish him luck which ever road he takes.

[yvonne]

My heart says stay amateur and my head says turn pro. I would love it for us to have an Olympic champion defen his title at home. What a lift it would be. It would get people interested in boxing who maybe wouldn't have been.

Having said that a likely £1m to turn pro is a huge temptation, He could suffer a career ending injury in the four years between now and 2012 and then the chance of a life time is gone. The other problem is that amateur boxing is moving further and further away from pro boxing with the scoring system and the rules. I think it is becoming so much more difficult now for amateurs to convert to the proffesional arena. (see the comments about audley and Amir not liking to get hit further up in this thread).

It is now a real issue that if he stays amateur for another 4 years the process of unlearning the amateur game and learning the pro game will be difficult.

The money/sponsorship needs to be increased to compensate guys like Degale to make staying amateur a choice that will not leave him in an unstable financial position. We are way behind the majority of the rest of the world when it comes to financing our amateur heroes. Who ever is in charge of the budget needs to realise this.

26 is not too old for Degale to turn pro and to defend gold in the Olympics in your own country, without trying to sound like a cliche, is something money just can't buy.

I wish him look whichever road he takes.

Some good points there mate.I understand were your coming from.It would been great for him to do both but cant see him managing both contest.The pro game is so differant from Amateur.Like i mentioned earlier that Degale has do what all boxers would love to do before turning pro by winning GOLD so if i was in his shoes i would turn pro.

[motorcityhitman]

Why not, the money will be excellent. Unlike other posters on here though i think Degale does have a style suited to the pros. People love the hands down approach. To me he looked like a poor man Pernell Whittaker.
Cash in kid, you deserved it, you got the gold.