Myth that American leading heavyweights are in other sports-

And there's no way to, since the top athletes are going into other sports, we'll never know if LeBron or Shaq, or Kobe, or Ray Lewis on and on. It's not hard to understand.

 

So basically, USA is lucky the entire world loves soccer so much because no one cares about being a boxer in the majority of countries, the overwhelming majority want to play soccer.

 

Really? Last time America won the WC in basketball was 1994, so this is the best you have to offer? oh wait the absolute best athletes play Football right?:think

Europeans do other sports as well

 

Olympics?

 

That's probably true. Even among the ranks of professional athletes, there are very few individuals who are capable of performing at the highest level in multiple sports. However, your claim that they wouldn't be tough enough to succeed in boxing is laughable especially when in comes to American football players. Most guys in football who compete at a high level in college or the pros absolutely destroy their bodies in the process.

 

Two weak and idiotic points. Way to go.

You really think you have a leg to stand on in arguing BASKETBALL? Just look at the demographics of the NBA. If you can't understand where the world's best has long resided you're a fool.

Want to discuss football (soccer)? Post the rosters. Look at the heights and weights and compare with the 1,696 players in the NFL.

 

It ain't a "myth". All you need to do is look at the athletes in the NFL and NBA to know that the best American big athletes are there with a very few exceptions. (Look at defensive and offensive linemen, hell even wide receivers you'll see some very very good 6'5 plus athlestes who are huge and quick).

Boxing is rough sport where you're almost certainly guaranteed to suffer some type of permanent damage (the NFL is too but not to the degree of boxing where by definition your brain is getting jarred for extended periods of time). Those that have other options will almost always chose another sport or even way of living (now a lot of big atheletes from poor areas have more opportunities outside of sports than than years ago). It's a poor man's sport to a degree. A lot of the Euros are coming from more depressed circumstances economically and a lot don't grow up playing american football, baseball, and basketball (where the money is). They also to a degree don't have the same other opportunities to earn a living. Therefore, big eastern euro atheletes don't have the same oppty to either make tons of money in another big money sport (like the NFL, NBA, or MLB) and probably don't have the same opportunities to earn a decent living elsewhere. Thus boxing is a real option and that's why I think there are more better big men from outside of the US then in it right now.

I mean look at the converse in the 1960's and 1970's. Are we to believe that there were no good big boxers elsewhere? No. Outside the US some countries didn't allow their citizens to participate. Also, in the US, the other sports weren't yet paying insane contracts to their athletes as compared to what could be earned by top boxers. Boxing was still 'big' in the US up to that time. Kids, especially those in the less advantaged city areas, were into it and there were plenty of gyms around and fighters from their particular background to look up to. There were simply more good US born big athletes competing professionally than there were non US good big athletes doing so. That fact made it so that US hevies pretty much dominated back then. Now, there's more non US big athletic hw's competing and that's why there doing a lot better.

 

I understand the concept quite well and I dont need any help from you. Get your garbage Tye Fields example out of here man..

Youre the one that doesnt understand the concept. Boxing is NOT where its at. I grew up in Chicago, even though I loved boxing and participated in it, I was the ONLy one of my friends that did. Its not like we all took a "toughness test" and measured the power of our punch and the strength of our chins. I had plenty of friends who played football collegiately who I would bet would be better at boxing than I was, except for the fact that they didnt try it. Because they were bigger, stronger, more explosive, quicker and they were pretty tough too.

LoL at using that mope, Fields as an example because he's big. Is your impression that there is some type of battery of tests that someone has to go through and then someone comes to them and tells them that they "have what it takes"? Does Wladimir Klitschko come up to these recruits and punch them in the ****ing face to see it they could (as you said) "take a big punch"???? NO! Any number of athletes out there could have been great boxers but I bet most of them, actually ALOT of them went into different sports. You know, sports that recruit kids from a young age and offer scholarships, perks, endorsements, million dollar bonuses just to sign and lucrative contracts. Is it getting through yet, or are you going to give me another ridiculous Shaq comparison?!??

 

Dude, the US just destroyed the rest of the world in the Olympics, and that was after many poeple claimed that America was finished at the top level in international basketball because the substandard squad that we sent to Greece only won the bronze in 2004. The reason more of the best players don't compete for the US in the WCs or the Olympics is because they have professional obligations as well and playing year around isn't exactly good for your health. Look at Yao Ming. His commitment to the Chinese nation team in addition to playing for the Rockets has probably ended his career prematurely.

 

I'm not denying that American Football players are tough, but it's a different type of toughness to fighting a man one on one as opposed to the pack mentality of a team sport. I'm sure there are guys in the NFL who would've been great boxers, but not as many as some here would have you believe. There are some guys playing rugby that would've been great as well, but not enough to cry about.

 

Yea, the rest of the worls did REALLY well when the US sent their A team at this years olympics, huh??? I suppose Olympics dont count

 

:rofl


Top post

 

For example, look at how many good boxers Mexico provides. Brazil has many great athletes in MMA, they are pretty dominant. Again soccer is the most popular sport in those countries by far. It's just excuses. No one wants to be boxing when they could play soccer without having to hit each other in the face and make more money. Sure they are not HW, but you can use the same argument for the other weight classes.

Typical way of seeing it only one side, to your benefit. Check the soccer rosters and compare them to NFL? lol, why? Forget about HW then, you can make the same argument in favor of other countries for lower weight classes.

 

The question as to whether America has lost potential great HW's to other sports has nothing to do with when the US last won an international basketball championship. All you have to do is watch NFL football for a few sundays and watch a little NBA and MLB. You'll see many, many 6'5 plus huge athletic strong quick dudes ( I mean you'll see some 6'7, 300lbers who can run 4.7 in the 40 yard dash). That's all you have to see to know that at least some of these guys (ones who could take a punch) would make much better HW's than the Eddie Chambers, John Ruiz's, Chris Arroella's that make up today's US crop of contenders. It's been that way for a long while to a degree, but it's much worse lately. The fact is that an athlete stands to make much more money in the NBA, MLB, or NFL and he doesn't have to face the likelihood of some type of neurological permanent damage. Just making a professional roster in all of these sports (which is difficult don't get me wrong) could make you very wealthy compared to the average joe.

 

Understood but how do you know there would only be a few???! There could have been a few GREAT football players that couldve boxed, a few GREAT rugbyers, a few GREAT hockey players, a few GREAT basketball players.. See what I mean, all of a sudden the few turn into not so few. What exactly is the difference about a kid who grows up and ends up becoming a boxer as opposed to a kid who grows up to become a football player? There's no prerequisite or some type of test you have to pass or anything like that.

How many great fighters do you know who "just happened to stumble into a boxing gym one day, and the rest is history"? TONS.

Alot of it is just pure luck.