The Hype with Saul Alverez (apologies if spelt incorrectly!)

[Fenster]

As regards Gamboa I can prove two things. Fighting as he did as an amateur led to him getting dropped by four different nobodies (IIRC). Second, he has thoroughly remade his style, UNLEARNING amateur habits and replacing them with pro ones. THAT is reality (stubborn? who me?)

He's had to refine his style not make a complete overhaul. He got dropped by Salido (19th fight). I guess he will always get caught the way he fights.

To suggest that Gamboa's 250 amateur bouts were a waste of time, in fact harmful to him, is ridiculous. The positives far outweigh the negatives.

Let's do the math on the ams at the top again. You have 50% of todays p4p top ten with extensive post 1990 am experience right? Yet in 1989? The percentage of the top ten who had extensive am expereince was 90%. So why the huge dropoff? Your last question means nothing. Why? Because ALMOST ALL the ams were fighting under the new rules so it is not a distinguishing feature is it? The right measure is men fighting under old rules (90% in 1989) and today (50% according to you) right? (stubborn? Me?)

Hold up a minute.

9 out of the 10 (90%) current P4P top ten have had an amateur career. 6 won notable titles. A 50-year-old P4P fighter is obviously an exception - so Hopkins is distorting this. Even so, that leaves 8 out of 10 fighters competing under the "modern" amateur rules.

HOWEVER

This doesn't come close to proving a "drop off" in amateur to pro talent. P4P lists are CONSTANTLY changing. Lets replace Pongsaklek with Mayweather? How about within the next year Gamboa or Khan or Broner replace the old boys Hopkins/Marquez? The P4P list will be ENTIRELY filled with "modern" amateur stars.

Far from there being a decline in amateur talent succeeding as pros, it shows that top amateurs are still making top pros, just as they did 20 years ago

[boxingbantz]

36m watched him last weekend.

The boy sure is big.