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Devon P asked in SportsBoxing · 1 decade ago

Agree or disagree with what Evander Holyfield said?

Here is what future hall of famer Evander Holyfield said about the USA boxing amateur program.

From yahoo sports:

(Former world heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield believes the failure of the U.S. boxing team at the Olympics can be traced back to an obsession with money.

Holyfield had predicted three American golds in boxing here but only heavyweight Deontay Wilder is still standing of the nine who began the tournament.

“They didn’t do very well, not well at all,” Holyfield, a bronze medallist at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984, told Reuters at the Worker’s Gymnasium on Tuesday.

“We’ve got to tighten up the amateur programme so that in four years we do a whole lot better.

“The problem is that these days it’s all about money. When it’s all about money this happens. The guys are just thinking about money. There’s a kind of manipulation where the kids are being told ‘go and turn pro, gold medals aren’t important’.

“(The managers) don’t want the guys winning golds because then they have to pay them more.”

Holyfield racked up more than 150 wins as an amateur before turning professional in 1984 and believes that grounding enabled him to join the list of American boxing greats such as Oscar De La Hoya, Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, all of whom won Olympic gold medals.

“Back in the day, amateur boxing was on TV every weekend in the States,” Holyfield said. “It inspired you to box.

“When you have a good amateur programme it helps develop well-rounded boxers. Look at the pro game now. Why do the championships change hands so quickly? It’s because these guys don’t know how to fight different styles.

“When you’re a pro you avoid the fighters whose style doesn’t suit your style, it makes them weak. Amateur boxing is harder than pro, you have to fight everybody in your draw.

“Without a good amateur grounding, it’s the same as missing elementary and middle school and high school. It’s your education as a boxer.”)

What are your thoughts?

6 Answers

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  • 1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    Holyfield is spot on

  • 1 decade ago

    And they say he's punchy. I agree with all of what Holyfield said. There's nothing wrong with earning money but it leaves little talent for the olympic team.

    It's a fighters choice if he want's to turn pro but Holyfield's point of view is only an answer to the question of the state of the US olympic team. He's not saying that fighters SHOULD NOT earn money.

    He is absolutely correct in stating that a good amateur career provides the fundamentals for professional boxers. Winning the medal is nice and would certainly enhance a boxer's career. Never coming close to finishing a good amateur career can be a disaster to a potentially great fighter.

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    Name me a sport thats not about money. Holyfield has made more money than any fighter who ever lived, would he of fought for nothing? For amateurs here in Ireland I advise them you might as well get hit in the head for financial rewards rather than a plastic trophy or a medal, Holyfield when he was an amateur was given bursarys and sponsor money which made him well off,

  • 1 decade ago

    For the most part I agree, especially in regards to learning fundamentals and respect.

    Money, on the other hand, is another issue. Many of the (successful) fighters that the U.S. have faced come from countries where they are rewarded with six-figure incomes, housing, cars, etc.

    But as I think Evander was trying to relate, without having solid fundamentals and respect, then it's hard to imagine somebody being successful as a professional...and really, this notion applies to most any type of professional (except maybe for pop music stars and network journalists, but I digress).

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  • 1 decade ago

    Yep. The problem is that the amateurs are so horrible right now, fighters are not dedicated.

  • 1 decade ago

    Sounds reasonable to me -- he would know.

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