More impressive, world champion or olympic gold medalist?

[JustOnce]

For example, Samart Payakaroon went 21-2, losses coming against Jeff Fenech and Eloy Rojas, and was a world champion

[yt]

Somrak Khamsing on the other hand won the olympic gold in boxing.

[yt]

 

[ironfist05]

I think it depends on the context. If you're just telling me "he was only a pro boxer and won a title" vs "he was only an ammy boxer and won the olympics" I'd be inclined to say the Olympic champ.

That said, in the pros, I'd generally be more confident in the world champion in a world champion vs gold medalist fight. We've seen gold medalists be mediocre, or even just bad, at the pro level, but being a champion usually holds some weight.

 

[aries]

I think it depends on the world title as a pro. If you just won all the world titles at a certain weight in one hit like Usyk did then I think that's more impressive then winning Olympic gold. But if it's just one alphabet title then that might be fairly easy to acquire compared to an Olympic gold.

 

[Badr Hari]

For me it's the olympic medal or even just the participation (not necessarily gold). Purely due to competition. Too many bums and politics of cherry picking in prizefighting. So many undefeated pro boxers getting title shots shows you they never fought a live body. Guys like Breazeale get title shots and are considered contenders all the time in the pro ranks. Put them in the very next big amateur tournament and they won't pass a single leg.

 

[Minowafanatic]

For a Muay Thai champion coming to boxing, winning the Olympics would be more impressive than just picking up a world professional title. Olympic boxing is less about toughness and grit, which we'll know those guys already have from Muay Thai, and more about pure boxing skill. So for them to have developed that skill to that level, that's definitely more impressive.

 

[Fzubek]

For me it's the olympic medal or even just the participation (not necessarily gold). Purely due to competition. Too many bums and politics of cherry picking in prizefighting. So many undefeated pro boxers getting title shots shows you they never fought a live body. Guys like Breazeale get title shots and are considered contenders all the time in the pro ranks. Put them in the very next big amateur tournament and they won't pass a single leg.

Considering you had an entire pool of boxing contenders to drive your point home, its hilarious you chose Breazeale a boxer who competed in the 2012 London Olympics

 

[Bamboozled]

World champ faces much harsher competition.

 

[Badr Hari]

Considering you had an entire pool of boxing contenders to drive your point home, its hilarious you chose Breazeale a boxer who competed in the 2012 London Olympics

Lol you're right I used a bad example. Breazeale is actually legit good. But at least you got my point.

 

[jm0b]

Entirely contextual.

If my aunt had a pair of bollocks she'd by my uncle.

If you beat 12 legit fighters on the road to an Olympic finals you did good.

If you beat 12 bums on the road to a lesser world championship you still did good, but the history books aren't gonna look as good.

 

[Barge]

If we're talking lineal, or you at least won it from an established champ. Then world champion is the gold standard.

Winning the Olympic medal straight up is a better accomplishment than winning say the vacant WBO super WW belt against their #15, Who nobody has ever heard of.

 

[Jonny Ninja]

I would’ve said world title every time a while back but there are so many belts that it cheapens it, especially the wba regular belt which is a fckin joke

It seems that more Olympic boxers are making the grade in the pro ranks these days, so personally I’d maybe put it on par now considering only 1 guy can win it every 4 years

 

[DeJulez]

For me it's the olympic medal or even just the participation (not necessarily gold). Purely due to competition. Too many bums and politics of cherry picking in prizefighting. So many undefeated pro boxers getting title shots shows you they never fought a live body. Guys like Breazeale get title shots and are considered contenders all the time in the pro ranks. Put them in the very next big amateur tournament and they won't pass a single leg.

He fought in the Olympics.

 

[Badr Hari]

He fought in the Olympics.

I know. I remember a Marocan beating him up.

 

[Kovalev's "Man Bag"]

World champ faces much harsher competition.

Not to blow your mind here but amateur boxing does indeed have a very high ranking major international tournament (second only to the Olympic Games) coincidentally known as the AIBA World Boxing Championships. These gold medalists (aka “world champions”) are produced every couple years and their reigns last until they're either formally defeated at the next World Championships, or for whatever reason, they can't participate to defend their title (turned pro, suspended or banned, couldn't make weight, switched divisions, got injured, etc) where a new world champion in the division is then crowned as their successor.

Each world championship reign is good for a two year time frame and they're expected to defend their world title in succession/consecutively or else they forfeit their “reigning” world champion recognition and are relegated to “former” world champion status. An Olympic championship reign works identically with the only exception being an established four year time frame as opposed to two.

 

[Bamboozled]

Not to blow your mind here but amateur boxing does indeed have a very high ranking major international tournament (second only to the Olympic Games) coincidentally known as the AIBA World Boxing Championships. These gold medalists (aka “world champions”) are produced every couple years and their reigns last until they're either formally defeated at the next World Championships, or for whatever reason, they can't participate to defend their title (turned pro, suspended or banned, couldn't make weight, switched divisions, got injured, etc) where a new world champion in the division is then crowned as their successor.

Each world championship reign is good for a two year time frame and they're expected to defend their world title in succession/consecutively or else they forfeit their “reigning” world champion recognition and are relegated to “former” world champion status. An Olympic championship reign works identically with the only exception being an established four year time frame as opposed to two.

I used to box as an amateur, I'm well aware there are good boxers. Sparring world champs or former world champs is night and day difference between Olympic team members.

 

[Kovalev's "Man Bag"]

I used to box as an amateur, I'm well aware there are good boxers. Sparring world champs or former world champs is night and day difference between Olympic team members.

You're talking about professional world champs, right? My point is that amateurs can also be current or former world champions. I would expect a current or former pro world champion to push you harder in sparring than an Olympic team member would. However, it depends on who you're sparring with in the first place. Many boxing gyms have Pro-Am teams that regularly spar together, the gyms I've sparred at here on the East Coast do. It was the same with Kronk in the 80's. Mark Breland (world & Olympic champ) was sparring everyone from Hearns to then current WBC Welterweight champion Milton McCrory. He dropped McCrory his very first day of sparring. Steward said Breland was the most talented boxer he'd ever worked with and Hearns said that he was the best Welterweight in the world, amateur or pro. Breland fell far short of such praise but that isn't the point. It was his ability that they noticed since he could more than hang with the best pros in the world going hard in sparring.

 

[Bamboozled]

You're talking about professional world champs, right? My point is that amateurs can also be current or former world champions. I would expect a current or former pro world champion to push you harder in sparring than an Olympic team member would. However, it depends on who you're sparring with in the first place. Many boxing gyms have Pro-Am teams that regularly spar together, the gyms I've sparred at here on the East Coast do. It was the same with Kronk in the 80's. Mark Breland (world & Olympic champ) was sparring everyone from Hearns to then current WBC Welterweight champion Milton McCrory. He dropped McCrory his very first day of sparring. Steward said Breland was the most talented boxer he'd ever worked with and Hearns said that he was the best Welterweight in the world, amateur or pro. Breland fell far short of such praise but that isn't the point. It was his ability that they noticed since he could more than hang with the best pros in the world going hard in sparring.

Pros will push you harder, and honestly sparring an amateur at that level like that is almost never going to happen. When it comes to whats more difficult like the OP said when you enter the pros guys aren't just trying to score points. They're literally trying to hurt you and keep you down. Amateur boxing is way different. The scoring and frenetic pace some guys have wouldn't last in the pro world. They also aren't nearly as seasoned or as in good condition in my experience.

 

[Kovalev's "Man Bag"]

Pros will push you harder, and honestly sparring an amateur at that level like that is almost never going to happen. When it comes to whats more difficult like the OP said when you enter the pros guys aren't just trying to score points. They're literally trying to hurt you and keep you down. Amateur boxing is way different. The scoring and frenetic pace some guys have wouldn't last in the pro world. They also aren't nearly as seasoned or as in good condition in my experience.

All 3 pro boxers ousted in Rio Olympics

Dan Gelston (Associated Press) - August 10, 2016 - 12:29pm

RIO DE JANEIRO — It was a big blow for the pros in Rio de Janeiro.

The three professional fighters that bucked 112 years of amateur competition in Olympic boxing have all been eliminated from the tournament.

Cameroonian fighter Hassan N'Dam, Thailand's Amnat Ruenroeng and Italy's Carmine Tommasone are history.

Ruenroeng was the last one eliminated. Sofiane Oumiha of France absolutely battered him over the final two rounds before the fight was stopped Monday. Ruenroeng was gassed after a competitive first round, and took two standing eight counts in the second. He was stopped in the third.

All 3 pro boxers ousted in Rio Olympics | Philstar.com

 

[Philtard]

Olympics is once every four years. I vote Olympics.

 

[FightGuyOpenMind]

World champion can be relative to the caliber of the division at the time.
Olympics usually is the highest level competition available at the amateur level. I doubt anyone can make the claim that you fought bums with an Olympic Gold Medal around your neck.