The two baddest men on the planet

There has been so many NFL players and ex-players that tried to box thinking the same way as some people on this forum but none has so much as made a dent in the pro game.I'm not just talking about Too Tall Jones and Mark Gastineau.The latest that i know of was a running back named Hightower i think his name was.They fed him a bunch of cans for a few years trying to bring him up slow and develop him into a contendor. Since he was a great athlete,they thought it would translate into boxing.He was undefeated until he fought someone with a pulse and was laid out,never to be heard from again.Its a pattern that keeps repeating itself over and over.To be a champion boxer takes a lot more than just physical attributes that one sees in a sports like football or basketball.

 

Actually, it's more like:

Proven positive steroid test + Proven quitter + Proven glass jaw + Wins against unproven competition = Klitschkos

 

You got schooled, holmes. Stand down.

Did the brothers do 'roids? Of course they did (Vitali tested positive, I believe, and I would ABSOLUTELY say that Wlad would have as well coming up in the Soviet sports machine -- but that is just my own opinion and not an accusation), I would imagine. So did Toney, and Jones and Holyfield (allegedly). And many, many others. Think Haye is clean? Ha ha ha.

Are they clean now? You bet. Testing is as strong as it's ever been.

It's tough, man. Like Clinton, I feel your pain. I know you want the HW title to go with the American presidency. Don't worry -- we get it.

What you might not get is that sports achievement almost always correlates with socioecomic factors. There's a reason why Jews dominated boxing 60 years or so ago and that's no longer the case. There are great athletes of all backgrounds, it's just that many of the Eastern Euros are hungrier for success than many fat slobs who train here and who are looking for their next Happy Meal.

Look, everyone is entitled to feel what they want, and there's nothing wrong with hating on peeps or rooting for those like ourselves. That's pretty normal, in my opinion (within reasonable and healthy limits). Just try to do it intelligently, or else it's too easy to pick you off.

Peace. :rasta

 

You guys who keep repeating this answer are missing the point.

Anyone who argues that you could just pick any current athlete out of the NFL, train him for six months, and at the end of that time he'd miraculously become a heavyweight world beater, is an idiot.

What some of us are saying is that the organized sports, especially in America, act as a massive talent drain. Some of the kids who put on a helmet and go play Pop Warner from the age of five WOULD be phenomenal fighters if from the same age, they went to a gym and put on gloves. But with the money, and way before that, the prestige of being a locally recognized "star", there is much more incentive for being a running back or a wide receiver. Add that to the fact that fighting carries it's own unique social stigma, and a ton of kids who would be extremely talented fighters never get any real start in the sport.

Now obviously, you can argue this same point over hockey in Russia or soccer throughout Europe, although obviously to a much lesser degree, just based on size of athlete involved. But anyone who watches the NFL Draft and can't imagine that SOME of these guys would have been amazing fighters had they taken a different path years ago, is suffering from a major lack of imagination. Some would have had glass jaws. Some wouldn't have had the dedication. But a few of them would have been heavyweight phenoms.

Between the current state of boxing, the atrocious U.S. amateur system, and the popularity, money, and press behind other sports, these potential fighters fall through the cracks with every passing year. It's not worth losing sleep over, but it is happening. And it's why I'm not expecting any heavyweight "savior" to emerge from this side of the Atlantic any time soon.

 

There's definitely a point here, no doubt. Guys like Matt Jones -- freakish athletes -- would definitely be good in other sports. I think Ray Lewis (if he has the chin) would make a heck of a fighter.

I'll give you another free tip, though. The element which is draining the most American athletic talent, especially from minority populations, is prison. That is where some of the best talent -- and some of the toughest-minded men -- are unfortunately ending up. Think Ibeabuchi, and many other names you'll never know. Hell, prison destroyed Tyson, or what was left of him.

Look, people always think I'm some white power dude or something. Not a chance. I'm half-white, half-Mexican. And I like who I like based on the fighter, not the group. I cant stand Floyd, but I love Hopkins. I freaking love Tyson and Holyfield, can't stand Pazienza. Etc, etc.

The reason I'm even writing any of this is to get people to think critically. Don't just assume because there's a trend in this era that it was always like that, or look for easy answers. Best baseball player I've ever seen? Bonds, and I don't care if he did drugs. He is unbelievable and worked harder than anyone. Guys like Giambi, in my opinion, were mostly drugs and hated to work out. Not Barry -- he was a monster in his training.

The reason why I know a lot of these stats and facts is because I've done a lot of research on matters of race. Not saying that I'm some great guy because that, but I know what I'm talking about here. If you want to read great stuff on race issues and sports, go look up Ralph Wiley, who is unfortunately no longer with us. He got behind all the normal BS, especially as he matured, and his stuff is great. He wrote a ton on boxing.

:thumbsup

 

goddamn, you must be out of your goddamn skull to compare the Klitschko sisters to Michael Jordan. On a scale of 0~10, Klits are at 0.5 for athleticism, Jordan is at 20.

 

I agree that there is possibility that any athlete in just about any sport,with the right mindset and physical attributes ,if they had been trained at a young age,could be a great boxer.But to degrade the current champions who have what it takes and have proven it in the ring by saying they wouldnt be champions if so and so boxed [insert name]is just wrong.

 

He`s black, have a big name in USA, bald and have a mustache(last time i saw a pic)! otherwise i cant really see how he is more atletic than the Klits:huh

 

hey, I wouldn't expect some clueless douchebag from northern europe who watched his first sporting event(vitali-gomez) yesterday to know who Jordan is.

 

You probably dont have a clue were north europe is boy! so shut the hole under your nose!

 

Learn to read better, it helps a lot.

Athleticism = speed, size, strength, endurance. As I said, they are athletic for their sport; their attributes work well for their sport. They don't have to jump high to excel at boxing. The Klitschkos are enormous, they are very fast (Wlad's hands are quite fast) for their size (you don't throw 70 punches per round if you're slow), they are very strong and fit and both have tremendous endurace (Wlad has improved greatly in this area, and Vitali's 70 punches/round at 37 tells it all).

They're not doing a dunk contest, and the sprinting exercise mentioned above should remove any doubts.

You guys don't get it -- the Klitschkos were selected by the communist system to be boxers because they were athletic and well-suited for the sport. That's how it worked in the communist systems, they pick you and not the other way around and then after you're in the system only the tougher-minded last. It's not a fluke that both brothers excelled in the system although I think Wlad wanted to get out at one point so he could go to med school. That didn't work out and the rest is history. :smoke

 

The Klitschkos are the best athletes that the Soviet Union has to offer? Goddamn that's pathetic. Jordan is faster, more agile, has more endurance, and better footwork than both of the Klitschkos combined.

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Oh, because they aren't black they aren't real men... riiight.. OKAY THEN..:verysad

 

I love Jordan. The Klitschkos aren't the best b-ball guys, they're the best amateur HW's who translated well to pros in boxing.

Best Soviet (Lithuanian, actually) hoops player was Arvydas (sp?) Sabonis -- before he had the Soviet Achilles Tendon surgery. He was insane. See if you can find old video of him when he was young. Think slightly smaller (though taller) Shaq who could shoot 3's like Bird and was athletic as hell. He was ridiculous.

When he got to the NBA, he was shot. But he still did decent for a few years with Portland, I think.

Ok, I'm out. Peace, all! :good