If Mexicans didn't turn pro at 15 I think they'd rule Olympic Boxing.

[outspoken]

I think Mexican fighters their traditional style is better suited for the pros. That's because we know some great mexican fighters like Chavez would rather take 2-3 punches to land one power punch. But then we have the non traditional fighters like Finito lopez and JMM they would be great like you said if they would actually turn pro after their teens. I wish they would focus more on their amateur program but I can understand most of them are in dire need of money which is another reason mexicans fight with that warrior spirit because for a lot of them it's their only means of putting food on the table.. My 2 cents :P

[donnydarkoIRL]

Just to follow up on this thread, I thought Valdez looked the most exciting prospect I've seen from a professional perspective.
There was a Filipino, Bariega (spelling?) also looked exciting, in defeat to his Kazakh opponent.
Were I a boxing promoter the left hook vs. Nevin would have had me sold on Valdez.




Oh and also... The Irish guy won

[rjj tszyu]

They're also two different sports altogether. If you look at the list of countries with the most Olympic boxing champions, versus the countries with the most professional boxing champions..... the lists are entirely different.

Mexico is 2nd in pro champions, but not in the top 20 in Olympic champions.
Japan is 3rd in pro champions, ditto on Olympic champions (not in top 20).
Puerto Rico is 6th in pro champions, ditto on Olympic champions.

Then there's Thailand, the Philippines, etc, etc, etc.

The whole argument goes out the window.

I think a lot of the above is down to funding. Plus you should really mention that the U.S. is top of both if you are to make that argument. Also the fact that cubans don't tend to become pro's has a major bearing on these facts.