What happened to Abdulaev the amateur champion

[uppercut_84]

This guy won a Gold medal at the 2000 Olympics and was world champion at the 1999 World Amateur Boxing Championships.

He beat Miguel Cotto on points in the Olympic Final.

Yet has has a professional record 15 wins and 3 losses.

He has fought Miguel Cotto as a professional and was knocked out.

Why is that some boxers have average amateur careers and become great professional fighters? And why some with great amateur careers become rubbish professional fighters?

[BIGPOPPAPUMP]

It's a whole new ballgame in the pros. Some fighters were garbage amateurs and became great pros.

[eyeloveboxing]

Case of Mohamad Abdulaev, he was the amateur world champ at age of 25, 26(in his prime)... He was beating down little boys when he was at the olympic and world amateur championships. He turned pro when he was age of 28 and got his first title shot at age of 31, and got a beating from Cotto at or near his prime. Abdulaev is turning 33 this year and he is at the division of full of great fighters. He juss didn't time his career. He would have been a great champion if he started few years sooner.

[DiegoFuego]

Amateur careers mean absolutely nothing. Absolutely nothing. You wear headgear and only go 4 rounds. It hides ALL of a guy's flaws.

[guru]

his first loss's was a fluke and BS, he should have won... the lost to cotto is understandable, i dont know about his most recent loss though... he's had a decent career, he crushed phillip holiday, a former world champ, who went the distance with Moes.... but yeah he got a late start as a pro and probably wont do much else...