Just how "GREAT" were the former American "WORLD CHAMPIONS" of the past??

True. I meant in terms of H2H ability, though.

 

I'm still waiting for the thread starter to prove he's not a troll and address this:


So which Americans in which time period are you referencing?

And which non-Americans do you feel were underrated and better than them in that same time span?

Thanks.

 

But it's not just George Foreman. Every generation has a methuselah. In the sixties it was Archie Moore. Right now it's Bernard Hopkins. Sure, Foreman was 45 when he briefly held a portion of the heavyweight crown, but when Vitali Klitschko retired in 2012 he was 41.

 

Foreman didn't hold "a portion of the heavyweight crown."

Foreman held the actual lineal title.

 

Yeah, that's what I was driving at.

 

The boxers who would have probably held titles or been solid contenders if they had gone pro would have to include Teofilo Stevenson, Felix Savon, Valeri Popenchenko, Boris Lagutin, Vladimir Yengibaryan, Oleg Grigorjev, Nikolai Fyodorovich Korolev. László Papp got to fight briefly as a pro and almost definitely would have been champion if Hungary hadn't cracked down on him. I think Emanuel Steward wrote an article about the great Soviet amateur boxers for EastSideBoxing a few years ago but all trace of it has disappeared from the internet.

 

I was kind of scratching my head just now thinking about it. 1994? Wasn't Tyson in jail for **** and Holyfield had briefly retired because of a heart condition? Lennox Lewis got knocked out by Oliver McCall. And Rid**** Bowe was coming off a loss to Holyfield and an NC for hitting Buster Matthis Jr when he was down. That's how Foreman managed to leap frog over the four best heavyweights of the era and pick up a title.

 

I appreciate you giving me some kind of an answer.

But you still didn't respond to my questions. And you can't. Which shows why the thread starter is a troll. Unless he can pull a rabbit out of his hat. I'll wait. I won't hold my breath.

 

Moorer beat Holyfield to win it.

Foreman then beat Moorer.

That is how he won the lineal title.

 

The first wave of Soviet boxers that came over 25 years ago, were average, Vaulin, Zolkin and the rest, and the were all world champions. I still remember Vaulin, who was a small heavyweight, almost getting killed by Tommy Morrison.

There were some good guys before that, but they were stiff and predictable and usually lost to the Cubans in the Olympics. I don't think there were any stars before the Klistchkos. A guy like Vytsoky is remembered for having Stevenson's number, but he lost to a teenage Greg Page if I remember right.

It is only in the last 10 years or so that the Soviets have come up with the right mix of scouting, training, nutrition, competition, and "vitamin-S" that has made dominant fighters.

[url]http://articles.philly.com/1990-10-01/sports/25894848_1_soviet-boxers-victor-egorov-yuri-vaulin[/url]

 

so you are extrapolating georges attributes to the entire world of boxing yes. I was right about what you said first time,...so why you pretending I wasn't right?


"hurhurhur you're so wrong.... because you're uhhhh right!" wtf does that mean

 

Yes, over Holmes right now, how old is Larry now?
I'm asounded at some of the opinions on here.

 

Oh hturd, its really cute that you keep trying and failing. You never let facts, logic, or a cohesive point get in the way of rambling on. Once again, you entirely misrepresent my point. You can say extrapolate 100 times (it seems to be the only thing you can do), but it doesn't change the fact that that mischaracterizes that I merely said it is indicative of larger realities in boxing. The meanings are similar but the context is different. Being that you are someone so inadequately endowed with intelligence as to be unable to discern context any more readily than to construct rational (not to mention topical or relevant, or grammatically sensical) points, I'm not surprised.

Another epic fail for the hturd.

 

That's explains it -you don't know what extrapolate means hence why you keep saying "hurhurhur you're so wrong.... because you're uhhhh right!"

that's fine. but you should stop the Tourettes bout now before people at large pick up on your continuing error. just looking out for you.

 

It's actually one of the best I've seen in a while