Beijing Olympics bronze medalist and now trainer Tony Jeffries has come up with a new poser. According to him, winning a medal in the Olympics is more demanding than winning a professional title. To win an Olympic medal, a boxer ends up fighting the very best in the business, unlike what happens to a pro boxer.

Jeffries said, “Every fight In the Olympics is the higher skilled than, I’d say, 98% of professional fights. Reason being, ANYONE can be a pro boxer, And to just make the Olympics, you have to the best of the best.” The question he shared: “Would you agree?”, both through his X/Twitter and Instagram accounts, has gained considerable traction ever since it appeared.

A case for horses for courses?

The question is quite contentious. Hence, it’s important to understand how both amateur and professional boxers play it out. Yes, it’s true. A fighter in the quest for an Olympic medal has to fight it out through some of the best the sport has to offer. They don’t get the choice of overlooking a few names in favor of others.

But then you also need to think about the fact that a professional boxer has to stand for 12 grueling rounds, with each round lasting 3 minutes. Whereas an Olympic fighter has to survive just three rounds of 3 minutes each. Lest anyone forget, before it became 12, pro-boxers had to slug it out for 15 rounds.

Then, of course, there’s the matter of safety and scoring. Amateur boxers are groomed to fight with relative safety. The emphasis remains on speed and point-scoring. In pro boxing, endurance, strength, and stratagem often replace such considerations.

Tony Jeffries: Amateurs vs. Professionals

Anyhow, most of the respondents appear to be either agreeing or disagreeing with the postulation.

This user disagreed. According to them, an amateur boxer at his best throws a one-two combination. Despite their skills, under no circumstances do they reach anywhere near a professional boxer. They said, “Amateurs is who’s best at throwing one-two. Skilled but nowhere near top-pro boxing. Chalk and cheese.”

But the next user seemed to agree with Tony Jeffries. Irrespective of whether a boxer has the necessary skill or not, they stated that a professional boxer can always be promoted. “Agreed. Anyone marketable is a pro boxer, talent or no talent,” the user said.

The next person then highlighted how, to win a gold medal, an amateur boxer ends up fighting the best. On the other hand, until and unless there’s a big fight purse or titles at stake, a professional fighter would rather avoid particular face-offs. They also vied for the UFC’s method of going with a single championship belt. They said, “One thing about amateurs: the best have to fight the best to be the best; only one gold medal! But pros duck each other to keep there…only way boxing will get its popularity back from UFC, etc.”

This follower stated that nowadays it has become very easy to obtain a professional boxer’s license. Still, the accomplishment remains far removed from the feeling one gets from representing the country. Then the fact remains: while many unskilled pro-boxers win titles, only the best can make it to the Olympic medal winners list. “Yes, I agree; it’s easier to get a pro license than a TV license. Most boxers are nowhere near good enough to represent their country…Sh*t people win pro titles; most Olympic medalists are very good boxers,” the follower said.

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Finally, this user disagreed. According to them, amateur boxers may have a higher talent quotient. However, what they lack is experience, which is crucial for boxing. The user said, “Not true; they may have more potential, but most lack experience, which is crucial in boxing.”

Probably, there’s no easy answer. Given the date and time restrictions and sheer number of participations, it will be nearly impossible for Olympic boxing to follow the pro-boxing ways of 12 rounds right through selection and so forth.

Ultimately, in the end, with the exception of a few, most boxing greats came through the Olympic grind, where they served their nations first before switching over to making big money. They went through the amateur circuit, and when the time came, they switched gears to become pro boxers. Both call for a different skill set.

What’s your take on the argument? Do you also believe that amateur boxers are more talented than professionals? Please share your views with us in the comments below.

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