It's true but...

[ICEMAN JOHN SCULLY]

It's true that you don't have had to be a top amateur or an amateur with a ton of fights under your belt but the fact is that if you are about to go pro and have a choice? Take the sixty fights, twenty of which were at the regional and national level, as opposed to 5 smoker fights in or around your hometown or city. There are A LOT (many!) more Roy Jones, Oscar De La Hoya and Mark "Too Sharp" Johnson's around than there are James Toney's and Bernard Hopkins.

[boliodogs]

I would think it would be a good idea to start at a young age. Get the amateur experience you need and turn pro when you are 19, 20 or 21 years old. That way you are in your physical prime during your pro career.Excellent fighters who turn pro at 25 or older will already be 30 or older when they win a world title and past their physical prime. Look how old Tarver was when he finally won a title. I am sure he would have had a better career if he had turned pro many years earlier. Look at Canelo. He turned pro at 15 and at only 25 and just entering his physical prime he is probably the biggest money maker and best paid fighter in boxing. He is considered by many as one of the 5 best pound for pound boxers in the world. Starting very young paid off big time for him just as it did for Oscar, Trinidad, Mayweather and Pacquiao.

[ICEMAN JOHN SCULLY]

I would think it would be a good idea to start at a young age. Get the amateur experience you need and turn pro when you are 19, 20 or 21 years old. That way you are in your physical prime during your pro career.Excellent fighters who turn pro at 25 or older will already be 30 or older when they win a world title and past their physical prime. Look how old Tarver was when he finally won a title. I am sure he would have had a better career if he had turned pro many years earlier. Look at Canelo. He turned pro at 15 and at only 25 and just entering his physical prime he is probably the biggest money maker and best paid fighter in boxing. He is considered by many as one of the 5 best pound for pound boxers in the world. Starting very young paid off big time for him just as it did for Oscar, Trinidad, Mayweather and Pacquiao.

Tarver benefitted from a long amateur career because if he turned pro young he would have missed out on Olympics, Pan-Ams etc etc...he matched up with the best Americans and Cubans... that experience means A LOT...and Oscar and Floyd each had over 100 amateur fights... Im not talking AGE, Im talking experience...if u go pro with 10 amateur fights u are more than likely not going to be world champion... some have done it, sure. but the list of men who havent is MUCH longer..