In my time in boxing as both a full Amateur Coach and Professional Coach I’ve been asked a number of times about the different codes in boxing, which is best and which is worst? Often people suggest that amateur is more of an honest competitive sport, a pure form of boxing, whereas professional boxing is more of a lop sided sport with money being the ruling factor regarding match-ups.
The reality is that most people don’t understand the differences. Amateur boxing is indeed a fairly even competitive sport between the various boxers where match-ups have to be close in ability and other areas of comparability. This can be seen throughout the various age groups. However, professional boxing has a different agenda and the greater need is to develop a boxer in two pathways, one being ability and the other being the ability to box over a far greater time distance. More time, more rounds, more physical questions to be asked of a boxer.
It is foolish to throw an amateur boxer into what might be called a mismatch, it serves no purpose and is in fact dangerous. Thankfully in my view and experience amateur coaches will not try to do this. Bouts fall within a category of a sixty/forty percent chance of winning or losing for either opponent, even closer percentages if possible. This responsible approach ensures a reasonably equal contest between to amateurs wishing to progress their mastery of the sport.
Professional boxing is very different. Professional boxing involves money, often big sums of money. Professional boxing is about the cream rising to the top for two things, one is obviously financial and this involves boxers, matchmakers, managers, agents and promoters. The second aspect is exactly the same as the objectives in amateur boxing, winning titles. Professional boxers have to be slowly developed and cultivated to hit great heights, boxing in contests that are far longer in duration. You will often see amateurs go full tilt for three solid rounds at great pace.
Professional boxing involves managing the time during each round in a much more sensible way in order to last the distance, or quite simply they risk ‘gassing out’. You wouldn’t expect a one hundred metre Olympic sprinter to run back to back races, let alone twelve of them as in pro boxing. Performance levels just could not be maintained. In Pro boxing you do this by development contests that progress exponentially over longer fight distances. There are plenty of durable experienced opponents who, for money, will give a professional emerging talent a reasonable test over a given distance.
This gradual process is sensible in a financial sense and a sporting development sense. Professional boxers have to develop skill, durability and spectator appeal, a fan base, as they hopefully rise up the rankings towards the championship belt contests. If you watch professional boxing, you are watching this development in progress. You are watching the growth of a financial interest before your eyes which has to be in tandem with an increasing growth in ability over longer distances. Professional boxing is associated with a huge entertainment factor.
The cream really does rise to the top in both amateur or professional boxing, but along different pathways. Many amateurs turn professional, but all amateurs do not make it successfully, the demands of professional boxing are very different and they have to be learned. In my opinion, on the whole, professional boxing is far harder to make progress within.
Usually professional boxers are well schooled, even so called ‘journeymen’ (a term I hate’ ) are seasoned capable boxers who can test anybody. In terms of this Pro developmental progress it is good to imagine a pyramid shape. At first emerging talent in terms of latent ability might be a greater distance from their early opponents at the bottom of the pyramid, but as they begin to rise upwards along their side of the pyramid, so does the quality of opponents on the other side of the pyramid. As a boxer nears the top the fights inevitably get tougher and the distances longer.
One could argue the rise is similar in amateur boxing, again we do see the cream rise to the top, but amateurs are not expected to sell tickets, both ringside or television, in their multiple thousands along the way. Professional boxing involves gambling money on outcomes , entertaining the crowd and/or viewers in a boxing sense. Professional boxing demands the best boxers, and those who box in the most exciting ways usually hit the greatest heights. The longer distances make greater demands and ask greater questions both physically, technically and mentally.
As I write this it seems we have just witnessed what I’ve said summed up in the Itauma v Hrgovic world title fight.
Big punchers can often outpace the needed development schedule that lesser punchers follow. I don’t yet know what reasoning has come out of Itauma’s camp but outwardly it seemed like an implosion of energy fatigue and energy management. Putting everything into every shot is draining, especially when you miss and especially over longer rounds combined with a very durable opponent who puts more and more pressure on in the face of it.
Did that happen? I’ll see what comes out but I have seen this in professional boxing before. Patience is indeed a virtue in professional boxing.
Thanks for reading.
Neil