I found the story really interesting. It's tough because you don't always recognize which opportunities lead you to great things, and which are dead ends. Only in hindsight can you see it.
Though for this guy, I'm not sure it would have made much difference. He turned down a great offer arrogantly without even considering it, then proceeded to go on a drinking binge and blame others for his problems. This isn't really the mentality and behavior of successful people.
You’re never a loser until you quit trying. - Mike Ditka
Agreed. The reality is that the offer was probably still on the table in roughly the same form. After the Olympics, he could had the offer examined, weighed his options, and had pretty much the same starting point as Mayweather.
I won't bother to speculate whether he would have had the same success from that starting point. But he did NOT lose all opportunities in the instant he turned that deal down.
True, but like you pointed out, it might not have made a difference as he proceeded to go on a drinking binge and be bitter about the whole situation. Perhaps if he kept his head on straight, he would've still had a moderately successful career in boxing.
I couldn't agree more with true greats are persistent individuals. He simply let his emotions get the best of him.
> This isn't really the mentality and behavior of successful people
Thinking you know what traits do and don't make someone 'successful', or that everyone shares your definition of 'success', is probably also not the mentality of successful people.
Why would I want to read books about people that fall under your definition of 'success'? Do I have to read about and fetishize war profiteering too? Just follow the money, right? Jobs over Wozniak? Zuckerburg over Borlaug?
From the article I understand the promoters were impressed by his performance and offered him a professional contract, but he simply said no without a reason so they went to Mayweather instead. So shouldn't he actually be blaming his troubles on refusing their offer instead of beating Mayweather?
You could say it's a completely different sport. It's hard to explain because at its core, it's still boxing. A ring, a ref, gloves, punching.
But what makes boxing boxing isn't punching each other in the face. The game is to win, and that game has rules which mean the world in terms of tactics and strategy.
For example, in Amateur boxing you virtually always wear headgear, in pro boxing virtually never.
In amateur boxing you don't get points for a knockdown, which can often be a dealbreaker in close pro fights.
In amateur boxing you can have a 3-round match, or a 4 round match. And a 4 round match will be two minutes. That's 8 minutes of fighting, versus Pro boxing where you can have 12 matches of 3 minutes for 36 minutes, that's a massive difference.
It's like comparing the sprint to a marathon, tactics and strategy aren't the same and while they're both running, they're a different sport. Amateur and Pro is a bit like that. On the other hand, it's not, because you can have multiple of such amateur fights in a single day, while the elite pro boxers fight once every 3 to 6 months. It's more like doing a marathon versus running multiple sprints.
Because of the headgear, the 30% shorter rounds, the much fewer rounds and the lack of points for knockdowns, amateur boxing is much more about scoring points very quickly, than doing damage and getting a knockout. It's really hard for two equally skilled fighters to get a knockout with headgear within just 3 rounds, especially at the young ages most amateur fighters fight at. Judges also focus everything on counting scoring blows. In pro fights, judges also take into account aggressiveness, ring dominance, initiative, punch volume etc, not necessarily on paper or officially, but it plays a bigger role in judging.
Lastly, the scoring is different. In pro boxing every round is its own battle, because you win or lose rounds, and those add up to your score that win or lose you the match. In amateur boxing, rounds are more arbitrary units, as you can't win or lose a round. The amount of legal blows you get on your opponent is added up for each round, and those get summed up. This difference opens up lots of different strategies.
Then there's tons of small differences. Things like glove weights and materials being different (pro is more spartan). Things like grease being allowed or not. A standing 8 count in amateur boxing (if you're in trouble, the ref gives you some time out, in pro you're fucked. You'll likely get a knock down and lose points, or a KO). In amateur fights can and often are stopped with bleeding and swelling, in pro it continues to a pretty extreme extent.
A really big part which is a bit ambiguous, are fouls. In pro boxing refs are very lenient about clinch tactics. Things like pushing with the shoulders, leaning on the head, stepping on the foot etc happen over and over again and only get warned late in the game usually when it's excessive. It depends on the fight and the ref. It sounds small, but they compleeeetely change the game.
Lastly, money. Pro's are of course, paid. And it's a career. That changes everything. It means that aggressiveness is part of your gameplan, not because it'll make you win, but because win or lose, you'll get paid more the next fight. Amateur boxing is a different world, more olympic, no money, a focus on the win above all.
Anyway any boxer will tell you they're completely different sports.
The guy has loyality. "I wanted to hope that things here could get better,” he said. He was young and couldn't predict the future. It has happened to so many of us.
What stuck out is you can have a house over your head at $400 euros/month? In the United States, unless you get lucky(section 8, low income housing, family) at $435/month you are homeless.
What stuck out is you can have a house over your head at $400 euros/month? In the United States, unless you get lucky(section 8, low income housing, family) at $435/month you are homeless.
On the other hand, the average wage is <$500/month, and the minimum is <$200/month.
It is not much but in those countries it works. Not $ but I know people with a family in PT and ES living off E400-500 and they manage so in the balkan you should be ok.
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[ 3.1 ms ] story [ 60.8 ms ] threadThough for this guy, I'm not sure it would have made much difference. He turned down a great offer arrogantly without even considering it, then proceeded to go on a drinking binge and blame others for his problems. This isn't really the mentality and behavior of successful people.
You’re never a loser until you quit trying. - Mike Ditka
The guy was a few days before an Olympic final he rightly should have won.
After that would have been the time for dealing with offers.
I won't bother to speculate whether he would have had the same success from that starting point. But he did NOT lose all opportunities in the instant he turned that deal down.
I couldn't agree more with true greats are persistent individuals. He simply let his emotions get the best of him.
Thinking you know what traits do and don't make someone 'successful', or that everyone shares your definition of 'success', is probably also not the mentality of successful people.
From the article I understand the promoters were impressed by his performance and offered him a professional contract, but he simply said no without a reason so they went to Mayweather instead. So shouldn't he actually be blaming his troubles on refusing their offer instead of beating Mayweather?
(Men's Olympic boxing is dropping the head guards and shifting from its previous scoring system to a pro-style scoring system)
But what makes boxing boxing isn't punching each other in the face. The game is to win, and that game has rules which mean the world in terms of tactics and strategy.
For example, in Amateur boxing you virtually always wear headgear, in pro boxing virtually never.
In amateur boxing you don't get points for a knockdown, which can often be a dealbreaker in close pro fights.
In amateur boxing you can have a 3-round match, or a 4 round match. And a 4 round match will be two minutes. That's 8 minutes of fighting, versus Pro boxing where you can have 12 matches of 3 minutes for 36 minutes, that's a massive difference.
It's like comparing the sprint to a marathon, tactics and strategy aren't the same and while they're both running, they're a different sport. Amateur and Pro is a bit like that. On the other hand, it's not, because you can have multiple of such amateur fights in a single day, while the elite pro boxers fight once every 3 to 6 months. It's more like doing a marathon versus running multiple sprints.
Because of the headgear, the 30% shorter rounds, the much fewer rounds and the lack of points for knockdowns, amateur boxing is much more about scoring points very quickly, than doing damage and getting a knockout. It's really hard for two equally skilled fighters to get a knockout with headgear within just 3 rounds, especially at the young ages most amateur fighters fight at. Judges also focus everything on counting scoring blows. In pro fights, judges also take into account aggressiveness, ring dominance, initiative, punch volume etc, not necessarily on paper or officially, but it plays a bigger role in judging.
Lastly, the scoring is different. In pro boxing every round is its own battle, because you win or lose rounds, and those add up to your score that win or lose you the match. In amateur boxing, rounds are more arbitrary units, as you can't win or lose a round. The amount of legal blows you get on your opponent is added up for each round, and those get summed up. This difference opens up lots of different strategies.
Then there's tons of small differences. Things like glove weights and materials being different (pro is more spartan). Things like grease being allowed or not. A standing 8 count in amateur boxing (if you're in trouble, the ref gives you some time out, in pro you're fucked. You'll likely get a knock down and lose points, or a KO). In amateur fights can and often are stopped with bleeding and swelling, in pro it continues to a pretty extreme extent.
A really big part which is a bit ambiguous, are fouls. In pro boxing refs are very lenient about clinch tactics. Things like pushing with the shoulders, leaning on the head, stepping on the foot etc happen over and over again and only get warned late in the game usually when it's excessive. It depends on the fight and the ref. It sounds small, but they compleeeetely change the game.
Lastly, money. Pro's are of course, paid. And it's a career. That changes everything. It means that aggressiveness is part of your gameplan, not because it'll make you win, but because win or lose, you'll get paid more the next fight. Amateur boxing is a different world, more olympic, no money, a focus on the win above all.
Anyway any boxer will tell you they're completely different sports.
What stuck out is you can have a house over your head at $400 euros/month? In the United States, unless you get lucky(section 8, low income housing, family) at $435/month you are homeless.
On the other hand, the average wage is <$500/month, and the minimum is <$200/month.