Would he be one of the great ones had he pursued a career in boxing rather than basket ball? There's a lot of talk about the modern athletic giants, and I myself rate many of them highly h2h, but Shaq would dwarf all of them and probably equal (or perhaps better) them in terms of athletic skill. So if he had chosen to become a boxer, would he have emerged as one of the truly great HWs you think?
Funny you bring this up. I recall, several years ago, Shaq getting in a brief courtside fight at a game. It's probably on Youtube. He threw one of the girliest punches I've ever seen. I distinctly remember this, because I was so shocked at how pathetic it looked. Who knows though, maybe it is something proper training could take of.
well he defintly looks like a boxer. but still, tall guy who is athletic can do well but fail at the top level. above 6'5 hieght can be a disadvantage i think. he could bulldozer some people but there would be a point where lewis or holy would of got under his guard and caught him too many times. in comparrison valuev isnt unbeatable and is a weak champion. so hieght and weight isnt always a full plus advantage. aa possible michael grant type fighter i expect
He would have been humiliated. There is a lot more to this sport than having the physical atributes and some athletic talent.
Why? If he had started boxing at a young age and gotten thorougly schooled? If an oaf like Valuev can do decently why wouldn't he?
Sure, but Shaq must have a great winner's mentally and probably a good tactical brain seeing how well he's done.
True. Taking punches in the face isn't quite like anything else. But pro athletes achieving the kind of success O'Neill has, have a very strong mentality. That shouldn't be doubted.
1. For every ten guys who have the talent on paper to be a world class boxer only one delivers. 2. For every ten guys who apear to be in the above group only one turns out to be a viable prospect. 3. When a 230 lb knucklehead gets in a street fight with a regional level bantemweight, the fight is short and brutal for the knucklehead.
You can probably say the same about basketball. To reach Shaq's level you have to have great intangibles. They probably don't translate exactly into boxing, but they do say something. Sure, but what has that to with anything? I'm talking about if Shaq was schooled in boxing from a young age. It's hardly a reach to believe he could at the very least reach the level of the quite rudimentary Valuev in terms of skill.
Frankly, I am not a big advocate of athletes from other sports transcending into boxing, and basketball is usually one of the worst examples. However, I think in this case it would depend on the circumstances. Had O'neal been given the benefit of starting at an early age with good trainers and a well layed out amateur path, he might have put something together, then again he may not have. It would all depend on his mentality.. One thing is for certain, he was quick to get physical and even violent with a lot of 7 foot centers on the court, and it didn't take much to send a 7 foot, 250 lb man to the floor.. The perameters of boxing are different of course, but athleticism and the willingness to mix it up still apply.. My guess is that he probably wouldn't have acheived greatness, but certainly could have surpased the acheivements of a Valuev, or even a Carnera. Shaq grew up in the slums and brought some of his street smarts onto the court. Even without an ounce of formal boxing training, the man knew how to throw a punch....
Like waldimir klitschko said! boxing is the easy.. if you can do it.. if any NBA;NFL player could box they would be boxing:bbb!