Is It Fair to Call Boxers Pre '91 World Champs When ½ the Globe Couldn't Participate

Of course. No disrespect to the Cuban and the eastern bloc, but part of the reason they so successful is because they keep their older, more experienced fighters having to face very green competition. Notice I said "part" of the reason. Of course, they do produce great fighters from time to time like America would. Would there be more champions from communist countries? We don't know, but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and say yes, but not as many as most may think. We already seeing it with most not living up to their expectations and fail at the world pro level. Even the mighty Klitschkos havent been tested since Lewis the last great heavyweight and Gamboa has yet to face an elite. And these are the SUCCESSFUL ones I'm mentioning. Of recent memory perhaps only Kostya Tszyu has left his mark and made a legacy. Hurtado, Gomez, Solis, Chagaev, etc and others had respectable careers, but not hall of fame. Champions pre 91 its safe to say a good 90-95% remain champs. Alot has to do with boxing growing in popularity in one and fading in another.

 

I think something like "Cold War World Champion" would be a good title.

 

The USSR accounted for nowhere near half of the worlds population.

 

This America baby, we built on winning. Step ya game up, ******

 

No, but they do account for over half of the best fighters through history.

 

They fought the pool of competition that made up the professional ranks from the world at the time.

Therefore, world champion.

 

:good

 

Yea, it is. Boxing is a business where you must prove yourself. These foreigners didn't get a chance to prove themselves, so they didn't.

 

yes, it's fair, what're we going to call them, "most of the world champs"? not to mention, once you get into speculating who could have been a world champ from mostly eastern european countries and cuba, you're really getting into all sorts of unfounded opinion. all you can do is consider what's there now. the klitschkos dominate, and there are other former soviet fighters doing very well. in my opinion, klitschko dominance is definitely admirable, but less about their ability as much as it's about the fall from grace of american heavyweight boxing.

 

No , it's not. When you fight only your countryman , you're just a national champion , nothing more.

 

yes it's fair.

 

if your countrymen are the only ones in the world participating in the sport, then you're world champion.

If other nations aren't putting forth professional boxers, that's their problem.

 

American superiority is laughable but European hyper-sensitivity to it is hilarity defined

 

:thumbsup