Well, -Jrabbit, you could be right, the record may not be "unbreakable."
But amateur bouts are different from pro. They're only 3 rounds; pro will start at 4 and go up as the fighter gains experience. (Max 12 for a championship bout, though in Marciano's day it was 15.) There's no headgear in pro, so - especially for heavyweights - you could face a guy with power who gets in that one punch.
Someone who's going to be a "contender" will probably outclass many of the amateurs he faces, so will compile an even more lopsided record, so that's not necessarily an indication of how many pro wins he'll have.
A contender will also eventually want a shot at the title, so there will come a point when he's going to face more serious competition. I think the competitive spirit will not allow him to keep on facing scrubs. If his manager won't get him more serious bouts, he can always switch managers. (Of course one's record may depend on the level of contemporary talent: Ali had serious competition in Frazier, Norton, Foreman; Tyson didn't have that same level - but he lost focus as a champion, took Buster Douglass too lightly and got knocked out.)
And as I said, defending one's belt seems to be at a rate of less than once a year nowadays.
But amateur bouts are different from pro. They're only 3 rounds; pro will start at 4 and go up as the fighter gains experience. (Max 12 for a championship bout, though in Marciano's day it was 15.) There's no headgear in pro, so - especially for heavyweights - you could face a guy with power who gets in that one punch.
Someone who's going to be a "contender" will probably outclass many of the amateurs he faces, so will compile an even more lopsided record, so that's not necessarily an indication of how many pro wins he'll have.
A contender will also eventually want a shot at the title, so there will come a point when he's going to face more serious competition. I think the competitive spirit will not allow him to keep on facing scrubs. If his manager won't get him more serious bouts, he can always switch managers. (Of course one's record may depend on the level of contemporary talent: Ali had serious competition in Frazier, Norton, Foreman; Tyson didn't have that same level - but he lost focus as a champion, took Buster Douglass too lightly and got knocked out.)
And as I said, defending one's belt seems to be at a rate of less than once a year nowadays.
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