Becoming a pro?

[the niggest]

You need to learn how to crawl before you walk, son.

[Takeover]

No, it is not too late. Bernard Hopkins started fighting at age 23/24. Rocky Marciano didn't start till late. Jack Dempsey is another. The list goes on and on.

[Rockin']

It can be done but it will take alot of hard ass work to get there. Anybody can fight in a pro bout but not all will fight like pros.

Stick to your schooling man, take it from me. Even if you have an emence amount of pure talent it does not mean that things will work out as a pro. Besides your opponent there are many many more obstacles that you will have to navigate.

I'm still glad that I fought pro, I have no regrets about it except that I didnt see just how far I could have gotten. I had talent man, but even the best come out of the meat grinder called professional boxing altered, mentaly mamed and unable to care for themselves after it's all said and done.

The amatuers are great for any youth, it's saftey first in that game.

Stay in school and just have some fun in the amatuers.............Rockin'

[Takeover]

It can be done but it will take alot of hard ass work to get there. Anybody can fight in a pro bout but not all will fight like pros.

Stick to your schooling man, take it from me. Even if you have an emence amount of pure talent it does not mean that things will work out as a pro. Besides your opponent there are many many more obstacles that you will have to navigate.

I'm still glad that I fought pro, I have no regrets about it except that I didnt see just how far I could have gotten. I had talent man, but even the best come out of the meat grinder called professional boxing altered, mentaly mamed and unable to care for themselves after it's all said and done.

The amatuers are great for any youth, it's saftey first in that game.

Stay in school and just have some fun in the amatuers.............Rockin'

Is this true? Seems like alot of pro fighters end up ok after it is all over.

[Rockin']

Is this true? Seems like alot of pro fighters end up ok after it is all over.

This is all true and not just from stuff that I might have read or heard, I've seen it with my own eyes and experienced it with my mind and body.

Alot of pros are fine after a lengthly career, but in the shadows hidden away from the public view there are plenty of retired fighters that suffer the affects of their trade.

I won't mention names but I have seen and talked with fighters that have been altered by the game. One fought Ali back in his day, can't understand a word that comes out of his mouth. Another guy that I fought with shows the signs. He came up after me but I can see the changes that his 35 fight career have had upon him.

Professional boxing is no joke, you are in there fighting and at any time it could be life or death. These fighters made the decision to become professional fighters and they have every right to make that decision. It's just that few actually know of the reprecussions that the sport could have on them.

I had a short pro career, I saw the tell tale signs of the danger after the ring and decided to cut out before any serious damage was inflicted upon me. There are some who could have 100's of fights and not show the signs of pugilistica dementia, all the same there are fighters who could have a handfull of fights and come out altered by their quest. It's a flip of the coin that I decided not to make. Still, 10 years after my last pro fight I deal with the affects of the game. Severe headaches are common, I forget alot of stuff but I think that was my way before entering the pro game.

Any outsider can look at the sport and make quick judgements about it, but you can never really now unless you've laced them up and stepped up to fight. Now the amatuer game is night and day to the pros. Any young teen that asked me about the amatuer game I would whole heartedly tell them to give it a shot. Compared to the pros the amatuer game is relatively safe and is actually documented to be one of the safer contact sports out there.

I made my decision years ago to step out of the pro game, that was my choice and only I could make it. I was fighting in arenas/stadiums making decent money for my bouts and was managed by a fairly famous person. I had it all going on but I could not get the affects of this sport out of my mind. The affects are real whether you want to believe it or not, but every man has the freedom to choose what he wants out of life. I decided that my mind was worth more than a few grand to be used as a punching bag.

What I say is true and comes from the knowledge that I gathered in my 15 years or so of fighting. For many there is a high price to pay for stepping into that ring, for others it's not so bad. Any kid talking amatuer boxing I will be behind and help the best that I can. Any kid talking the pro game I will discourage and recommend that they stay in school......Rockin'