jimmy ellis vs karl mildenberger

Schulz would have been better if he'd had more hunger. Like so many German heavyweights, he had plenty of skill but lacked power; however, I think he could have compensated if he'd had more of an aggressive mindset. Against Botha, for instance, he would look brilliant for 30 seconds, then go to sleep and got smacked around by the crude but insanely brave Botha.

I think one of the problems is that, for an athletic young east German, sport was the only way to make something special of yourself. Top athletes were treated like kings in the GDR, while the alternative was hunting around all day for second-rate coffee. In comparison, the same kid in a free German society can make it big in business, modelling, acting and so on, all without the threat of getting hit in the face. The former environment will always produce better athletes than the latter.

To be a great boxer, you have to convince that you have heaven to win and only hell as an alternative; that's easier if you're an immigrant from Eastern Europe than if you're a well-educated young hipster from suburban Munich.