Amateur Records of Pro’s Today Are Interesting!

By Boxing News - 08/22/2022 - Comments

By Ken Hissner: It seems the Russians and Cubans, and other Communist countries had big amateur records.

The recent win for Oleksander Usyk was a big one, and I check www.boxrec.com for amateur records that are not always complete but his shows 95-15.

Usyk defeated Joe Joyce, Junior Fa, defeated long-time amateur Clemente Russo, 95-31, from Italy, defeated Tervel Pulev 3 times, IBF, IBF, and WBC light heavyweight champ Artur Beterbiev, 96-10, going 3-1, which was Beterbiev’s last amateur fight, defeated WBA Cruiser champ Arsen Goulamirian, lost to Russian Egor Mekhonstev, 70-8 as an amateur and 13-0-1 as a pro before retiring, lost to welter champ Shawn Porter, lost to Matvey Korobov, 40-2, defeated 2-division champ Badou Jack, 105-34, and defeated Sergey Derevyanchenko, 52-13.

Vasyl Lomachenko only shows 98-2 and has been listed at 396-1. He defeated the following Robson Conceicao, 73-23, now 17-1, fighting for the super feather title in September against Shakir Stevenson, who was 61-6.

1984 Olympic Gold Medalist and world Welterweight champion Mark Breland, 40-1, as an amateur, has been listed at 110-1.

Super Welterweight champion Terry “Terrible” Norris was 291-4 in the amateurs and 47-9 as a pro. World Junior Lightweight champion Cuban Kid Chocolate was listed at 100-0 as an amateur but only 22-0 shown on box rec, while as a pro 136-10-6. South African heavyweight Courage “No Limit” Tshabalala, listed at 72-1 with 72 knockouts in amateurs, was 26-4 as a pro. As you can see, these amateur records, especially outside of the USA, are at best questionable.

Former WBO and WBC Super Light champ Jose Carlos Ramirez, Fazliddin Gaibnazarov, 60-20, now 9-1 as a pro, former WBC Super Feather champ Oscar Valdez, 43-9, now 30-1 as a pro, and lost to Albert Selimov, 114-23, and lost to Bahodirjon Sultonov, 24-18 never turning pro.

Two-time Olympic Gold Medalist 1992 and 1996 and world amateur champ Cuban Hector Vinent, 90-5, never turning pro.

Three-time Olympic Gold Medalist 1948, 1952, and 1956 Laszlo Papp, 125-3, 27-0-2 as a pro and European champ. He defeated future world light heavyweight champ Jose Torres in his final win. In his previous fight, he reversed a loss to Zbigniew, whom then Cassius Clay defeated for a Gold Medal in 1960.

Fighters with good amateur records never turning pro are Jesse Valdez, 48-8, out of Houston, TX, losing to a Cuban in his final fight.

Three-time Olympic Gold Medalist 1972, 1976, and 1980 Cuban Teofilio Stevenson, 110-12, lost in 1971 Pan Am Games to Duane Bobick, though beat future pro world champs John Tate and Tony Tubbs. Bobick was 38-7, defeating Larry Holmes, Nick Wells, 48-10 (who stopped Holmes twice in amateurs).

Three-time Olympian and twice Silver Medalist Cuban Juan Hernandez Sierra, 117-9-1, never turning pro.

Three-time Olympian 1988, 1992, and 1996 Silver Medalist Bulgaria’s Serafim Todorov, 96-14, was the last boxer to defeat Floyd Mayweather, Jr. in the 1996 Olympics. Was 6-1 as a pro.

Three-time Olympic Gold Medalist 1992, 1996, and 2000 Cuban Felix Savon, 269-7, in his last fight defeated future WBO World champ Sultan Ibragimov.

Olympic Gold Medalist in 2004 Cuban Odlanier Solis, 94-6, 22-3 as pro losing to Vitali Klitschko.

YouTube video

2008 Olympic Gold Medalist Italy’s Roberto Cammarelle, 185-22, never turned pro. He defeated Tony Yoka, and Filip Hrgovic lost to Anthony Joshua in the 2012 Olympics and defeated Cuban Erislandy Savon, 200-37, who never turned pro.

Russia’s Muslim Gadzhimagomedov, 87-6, won his only pro fight in 2021. In the Tokyo Olympics lost to Cuban Julio Cesar la Cruz, 258-22, who won his pro debut in May.

Russia’s Sadam Magomedov, 60-9, out of Serbia, is now 2-0 as a pro. From the country of Georgia is Giorgi Kushitashvili, 83-14, 2-0 as a pro.

Long-time Cuban amateur champion Jose Larduet, 135-44, is now 8-0 as a pro out of Germany.

Seems like this is the year the long-time amateurs are turning pro.