Steroids in the 60s ?

Regarding James Toney :
I think his extreme gain in muscle mass was evident in some of his heavyweight fights. For example, against Holyfield he was huge (for his body frame anyway). He certainly wasn't ripped, but his fat didn't obscure the fact that he was holding a huge amount of muscle. The shape of his trapezius muscles in some of those fights signalled chemically enhancement.

There were other heavyweight fights where he looked equally impressive, but then a few where he just looked loose and flabby.
That's another indication of high-dose steroid dependence too, the fact that his muscle mass would apparently vary so much. Either he came off at the wrong time, or took something else, or his body became 'resistant' for a while , or something. For whatever reasons, lots of heavy roid users vary drastically.
The guys who take lower doses or milder gear are less easily identifiable.

 

I think whoever says adding weight especially muscle doesn't benefit punching power is talking out of their behind quite frankly.

 

Generally.
But it depends on the fighter, I guess. Some fighters lose a good deal of coordination and 'snap' when they bulk up.

 

This is true.

 

Foreman was a country a$$ churchboy. I'll bet my bottom dollar that he would've slapped the **** out of someone offering him steroids in those days.

 

You didn't add suspect numero uno. Vlad.

 

Foreman was a teenage delinquent, a street brawler, a smoker, a drinker, an alcoholic.
Steroids would have been an improvement on that kind of lifestyle.

 

Not sure what constitutes "country a$$" in American speak, but growing up in the 5th Ward, Houston would be considered a city ghetto dweller, surely.

 

No you are not correct. Steroids do work like magic, you do the exact same thing and everything works better. Anyone that says otherwise has never done them. When I started taking testosterone my bench went from 320 to 360 in a month and a half when it had been stuck at 320 for a year. I think everyone knows that their athletic heroes are on drugs so we like this idea that steroids let you do extra workouts because it seems like less cheating. That idea is bull****.
It is actually why most boxers today are most likely taking something. If you don't you are going to do exactly the same thing but just not be as good as you could have otherwise because being stronger at the same weight is never a weakness.

 

It was only off the top of my head concerning ripped HWs of the late 80's, early 90's. But, yes, Wlad also fits the bill of big fighters with great physique. Not that they haven't existed before (Carnera was as ripped anyone his size today), just wasn't as common.

 

I knew that his juvenile delinquency would somehow prompt you to view him as a mindless criminal. I'm speaking from a cultural standpoint. Drugs use is cultural. Crack users usually don't use meth. Inner city youth see steroids as a drug that will shrink you're manhood. That was the conversation that I heard when I first became aware of them.

 

I agree that most athletes are likely taking something- not just boxers. Still, increased work capacity and reduced recovery time is a benefit. A hobby lifter will see gains without needing to ramp things up, but they won't maximize them. While you can see benefits without changing anything, when it comes to competitive athletics, the serious ones are not going to leave that excess capacity on the sidelines. If you're not using them to work harder, the other guy is, and you'll still fall behind in the long run.

 

It's absolutely an inner city neighborhood, but he was born is Marshall, TX , a very rural place at the time of his birth. Most people who moved to the cities (Especially Southern cities) at that time came from places like Foreman did and they retained many of the customs. As a matter of fact, I know some people who knew him in Houston as a youth and describe him as being "soft".

 

What ? I haven't implied he was a mindless criminal.
I'm questioning what a "country a$$ churchboy" is. To me, that sounds like someone from the country, small town, who goes to church and obeys his parents. Not a kid in the city who fights and drinks constantly, hangs out on street corners and pool halls. If the two things are the same, then I've learned something.

We're talking about 1960s. The side effects of steroids were not well known.
Loads of inner city youth take steroids anyway. Anywhere weight training or sports prowess is valued, steroids are valued. And they make people massive. For people into violence or gang stuff, being big is good, don't you think?

 

Fair enough.