Amateur boxing allows novice fighters to test their skills and gain experience. Amateur boxing was introduced as a modern Olympic sport for the first time in 1904. An Olympic Gold medal is the ultimate prize in amateur boxing and is often a springboard to a career in professional boxing.
Professional boxing, which tends to overshadow amateur boxing, has produced some of the biggest names and greatest events in the history of sports. Jack Dempsey, Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Robinson, Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Mike Tyson and Oscar De La Hoya are just a few of the all-time greats who became internationally recognized as a result of their success in the ring.
Critics argue, perhaps accurately, that boxing is currently at a historical low point. Its fans, however, still see much to enjoy among the current crop of elite fighters and know it's only a matter of time before boxing's next transcendent superstar arrives on the scene.
