According to ESPN the Magazine, the Next Great American Heavyweight is . . .

Its sad when our hopes have to be with guys who just started in the game.

 

Stacey Mckinley told me about this project about a year ago when Warriors closed.. Jessie Robinson is also on the team of coaches deciding who is and is not making the cut.. Its all good for the sport to introduce new athletes instead of some of the junkyard fat boys we often see on undercards.. More credibility and hunger brings a healthy heavyweight division in the coming years, I also heard the same was being done in its primary stages on the west coast with several top trainers enrolling the best of the west ... Stay tuned...

 

I think it's a good idea- a guy doesn't have to become champion to be an asset to the sport, it doesn't hurt to get some new blood in, and you just never know when one of these dudes could surprise us and pick the sport up quickly. I wish the best of luck to those trying it.

 

The "it's too late to start boxing in your twenties or thirties age" argument depends on how much natural ability the guy brings into the equation. Equally important would be the general conditioning and desire the beginner brings. If you're starting from absolute zero with no conditioning whatsoever and little to no natural talent, well then yea I guess it would be too late.



Matt Skelton started super late and has made a decent HW.. Although, he was a Muay Thai champ before getting into boxing so he wasn't a true beginner.



Nate Campbell is the prototype of someone who has great natural talent yet started super late. Had he beaten Bradley, people would be perhaps be considering him elite now.

 

I rate Thompson and Arreola as decent fighters, and I would be very surprised if one of these guys manages to do as well as they have. Good luck to them, but I don't fancy their chances much

Hold on a minute, on paper Johnson may have done better than Arreola or Gomez, but in practice that was definitely not the case. Arreola went after him all fight and took a lot of damage while trying to fight and make it competitive, and Gomez was trying to make things happen aswell. I wouldn't give Johnson much credit for going the distance with a Vitali who has undoubtedly lost power when he fought to survive from the first round.

 

As a general rule, outstanding college and pro football players who take up boxing as a new career don't get too far. The exceptions to this rule are rare. Tex Cobb did is one example, but there aren't many others.

 

I think boxing fans' hostility toward the footballers is a reaction to a certain historical misperception in the general public about the relationship between football and boxing. This misperception is that tough, rugged footballers can blow away boxers at their own sport (boxing).

I might add that this misperception is widely held by American sports fans who are football enthusiasts but who don't follow boxing, or who are casual boxing fans at best.

I remember the way these kinds of fans talked about Ed "Too Tall" Jones and Lyle Alzado in the 1970s. These fans were naive.

 

I think you're right on the money here. I've had run in with guys like that and the arguments never end well since those types tend to disrespect how hard it is to be a championship boxer.

That said, if any ex-football player actually is serious about wanting to pick up boxing, I'm not going to automatically **** on him because it sure as hell isn't the easiest line of work. That's why I have no problem supporting the guys who do give boxing a shot while shooting down the argument that all our boxers are being poached by football. Hell, there's no guarantee that one of these "no name" ex-college guys wouldn't take out a Pro-Bowl NFL guy in a fight anyways. It's impossible to say who really projects the best until they actually step foot in the ring.

 

the next great HW is 7 years old right now and weighs 76 lbs

 

I think these guys probably have too much to do even if they're natural athletes. Boxing is just a sport where its very difficult to come in late and make it to the top, the technique and muscle memory isn't built up like a natural fighter. It is possible though, Matt Skelton made it to a decent level and challenged for a world title at a very late age with only kickboxing experience.

I think they might knock out a few bums and get a bit of hype going but not much more.

 

Ed "Too Tall" Jones was 6 feet 6 inches tall and he was nothing along will all the other football players who failed.

Football does not mean you can box. Klitschkos should fight them now, and then fight Wilder, since the haters are claiming they are the top heavyweights now. Hell, Arreola would knock them all out.

 

great athelets in their mid 20's can learn boxing or enough to be good if they have special athletic gifts. i'll take a 6'4 near nfl quality athlete with 2 years of boxing training over "average joe" atheletes like ibragimov (and to a lesser exteng chagaev) w/ 10 years training anyday.

 

Alonzo Highsmith another exfootballer who tried boxing.

Terry Daniels former SMU football player who went on to fight Frazier for the title.

It's funny how people say "boxing needs a saviour". A few years back, Francisco Bojada was annointed as that messiah by Max Kellerman, and a few years farther back, Michael Grant was going to be the next dominant heavyweight champ. Funny how people can't see what's right in front of them. I imagine Klitschko fans don't think boxing is in such dire straits. At least boxing still going strong in Europe and the Phillipines.

 

no tim tebow?