Which of our 5 Olympians will make the best pro?

sston

I supose it's inevitable that most of the 5 guys will go pro after the games. Sutherland's is pretty much 100% certain to go but the rest haven't really made their intentions clear.

Egan says he's undecided and the rest are young enough that the money from the high performance and the lure of an Olympics on their doorstep in 4 years time means they will probably be tempted to stay on.

I suppose the only thing that might change is if any of the guys medal becuase then the offers to go pro might be pretty lucrative.

Anyway most people would say that Sutherland would make the best pro and I agree, he certainly has the style and the power. However I'd be a little concerned about his chin but either way his pro career would certainly be fun to watch.

Nevin and Joyce would have to make huge changes to their styles to make successful pros and I think they;d be better off staying in the amateurs.

As for Egan regardless of what happens in China I think he'd be better to stay on and try for London in 2012 as well. Ok, he'll be 30 by then but with all that experience behind him and if he qualified he'd be in an Olympics right on his doorstep. Also I think his style is very similair to that of Carruth's and at his age I'm not sure he'd do all that much in the pro's anyway so staying on in the amateurs and cementing his legacy as one of our best ever amateurs might be the best course of action.

Anyone else with any thoughts on this?

cowzerp

i did not vote as i'm not sure, sutherland is annoying and overrated, and the rest are suited to the amateur game, it all depends on there adaptabitily really. . Think egan is the best hope, lots of fighters that did not suit the amateur game in ireland could do better as pro's, i only won 1 all ireland and feel i'd be a much better pro as i'm more about aggression and power, dunne won loads but is limited. Its hard to tell.

efb

Reckon Nevin, Joyce and Barnes are all focused on 2012.

Reckon Kenny by a mile is our best medal prospect, not sure if he's suited to the pro game.

Sutherland, is turning pro, I'm sure he'll be great on Manchester Fight Night...

Big Ears

cowzerp wrote: »

i did not vote as i'm not sure, sutherland is annoying and overrated, and the rest are suited to the amateur game, it all depends on there adaptabitily really. . Think egan is the best hope, lots of fighters that did not suit the amateur game in ireland could do better as pro's, i only won 1 all ireland and feel i'd be a much better pro as i'm more about aggression and power, dunne won loads but is limited. Its hard to tell.

No offence Paul but are you saying you'd have done better as a pro than Dunne ?

I think Sutherland is definitely the most suited to the pros, he's got that aggressive power punching style and it won't take much work for him to transition properly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMf1CguuZWs

That's him in the 2nd qualifier for the Olympics. He hurt or scored a count against pretty much every guy he fought there. That's not easy in the amateurs especially below Super/Heavyweight.

There are question marks over his chin, I don't think it's that bad but sston is certainly right that he'll be fun to watch no matter what.

Kenny has said he'll turn pro if he wins a medal, a real possibility now.
I think he'd be right too. While I'm not sure he'd be suited to the pro's either, there's not guarantee he'll medal at the next World's or Olympics. He'd have a decent chance at getting another European medal(he already has a Bronze) but that's not guarantee and if he isn't successful he could do his amateur legacy more harm than good. By turning pro(if he wins a medal) he's bound to get some good offers financially which will help him a lot when he has to think about life after boxing.

Of the others I reckon Nevin and Joyce should stay on till London, Barnes is only 21 and while in 4 years time he'll be the perfect age for trying to medal at 25 it could make things difficult when he turns pro. Barnes would probably be a Minimumweight at the moment if he were to turn pro and turning pro at such a high age in such a low weight class mightn't be the best of ideas.
With that said I wouldn't call it a mistake either as if he does keep improving there is a real chance of him getting a medal in 4 years time. Something that means more to some people than any amount of money or professional titles.

cowzerp

no offence taken! Thats not what i meant, my point was just that some great amateurs lack whats needed to make it as pro's.power and endurance over 12 3 min rounds and a chin, i have all these. but dunne has so much ability that gets him through. I would not knock him in any way. When i was the same weight as dunne he would have beat me amateur, as a pro over 12, i think i could of stopped him. Either way, if i box pro i'd be put in with all the prospects, dunne was put in with cans as he was been built up, at my age i would not be treated the same, also i would have no name either. Dunne had, he was always going to be a pro. I'm still thinking about doing it in 09! Or i might do the seniors. Not sure yet. . . ,

walshb

cowzerp wrote: »

over 12 3 min rounds and a chin, i have all these. but dunne has so much ability that gets him through. would have no name either. Dunne had, seniors. Not sure yet. . . ,

Gets him through against tomato cans, and at times, just barely!

Big Ears

cowzerp wrote: »

no offence taken! Thats not what i meant, my point was just that some great amateurs lack whats needed to make it as pro's.power and endurance over 12 3 min rounds and a chin, i have all these. but dunne has so much ability that gets him through. I would not knock him in any way. When i was the same weight as dunne he would have beat me amateur, as a pro over 12, i think i could of stopped him. Either way, if i box pro i'd be put in with all the prospects, dunne was put in with cans as he was been built up, at my age i would not be treated the same, also i would have no name either. Dunne had, he was always going to be a pro. I'm still thinking about doing it in 09! Or i might do the seniors. Not sure yet. . . ,

Fair enough, there's no doubt that if someone has a bit of ability and intangibles(chin heart etc) a good promoter can take them very far.
Sometimes the difference between a journeyman and a World Champion is their promoter, and that's not an exaggeration.

sligobhoy67

the dazzler is the obvious choice because of his style

megadodge

Paul, all joking aside, why would you not consider turning pro ?

I know a few lads now who are turning/ have turned pro and they're nothing special, but they are getting some decent paydays for something they never got any money for.

They have gone past the stage where they could have won a senior/intermediate so they're thinking is "why not try it out and make a few bob". They're realistic, in that they know they'll never be champions, but with pro boxing on such an upsurge in Ireland at the moment there's some ok money to be made.

cowzerp

true, the reason why i did not do it as soon as i was accepted for the license was my missus is due in a months time! Its a grand or so to get the brain scan and thats yearly so i did not want to waste 6 months of that-i'm pretty sure i will do it. The money is not a big drive for me, more the taking part and seeing how far i could go, making money would be a bonus.. Either way i'll wait till the baby is settled before i jump in. January hopefully.

megadodge

Yeah, they're pretty good reasons.

Prepare for a lot of sleepless nights !
Don't underestimate how much of an effect lack of sleep can have on your performance in the ring. Seriously !

Hope everything goes well.

sligobhoy67

cowzerp wrote: »

true, the reason why i did not do it as soon as i was accepted for the license was my missus is due in a months time! Its a grand or so to get the brain scan and thats yearly so i did not want to waste 6 months of that-i'm pretty sure i will do it. The money is not a big drive for me, more the taking part and seeing how far i could go, making money would be a bonus.. Either way i'll wait till the baby is settled before i jump in. January hopefully.

good luck if you do Paul - I am sure all of us will come and cheer you on for yer debut!

CV

Big Ears wrote: »

There are question marks over his chin, I don't think it's that bad but sston is certainly right that he'll be fun to watch no matter what.

I am new to this posting comments lark, and from reading the other boxing threads you seem to know what your talking about. but i'm just curious as to why people suspect sutherland of havin a weak chin...

walshb

cowzerp wrote: »

true, the reason why i did not do it as soon as i was accepted for the license was my missus is due in a months time! Its a grand or so to get the brain scan and thats yearly so i did not want to waste 6 months of that-i'm pretty sure i will do it. The money is not a big drive for me, more the taking part and seeing how far i could go, making money would be a bonus.. Either way i'll wait till the baby is settled before i jump in. January hopefully.

Congrats Paul on the new arrival very soon. Give my best to the woman.

On the pro scene, I say go for it if it's really in your heart, if NOT, go try them Seniors again and try make 60 kg

nacho libre

All the best to you if you turn pro Cowzerp.