Unpopular opinions

All good points (especially wrt the lower weight divisions). And I hope that it goes without saying by now that I disagree with all of the blind sentimentalists here who romanticize past boxing while trashing present-day boxing. Wouldn't say that the sport "needs" US born participants, but I don't see any reason to think that it wouldn't be substantially improved if it had better access to the most promising young US born athletes and fighters.

 

Brian Mitchell is overrated
Kostya Tzyu is overrated.

 

I think Saad could have won, but I don't think it would have been a destruction. Eddie had a really good chin. I do think Saad could have outworked him, possibly for a UD.

 

Reality is that the amateur system for boxing in America has been decimated. They're only a fraction of the boxing gyms after work in the seventies and before. The Golden Globes and other amateur boxing organizations are almost non-existent. College boxing programs are almost non-existent. Even as recently as the 1980s black players could not play certain positions, like quarterback. Major team sports had a glass ceiling setting a quota limiting the number of black athletes in most major programs.

 

Has the US never produced a decent white or Latino fighter? Is US participation, or a subset of the US population's participation, the barometer for a world wide sport that has yet to fully tap the potential of Eastern Europe, Africa or Asia?

 

The reality remains that the sports which have attracted this pool of athletes has been dominated by them. Boxing arguably does not even attract the best athletes even interested in Combat Sports due to the rise in popularity of mixed martial arts.

 

The best crossover athlete in boxing was probably Corrie Sanders. He was legitimately good in the ring and on the golf course. The others--Roy Jones, Kendall Gill, the guy from Notre Dame, Kermit Cintron, Seth Mitchell--have basically been mediocre in either boxing or the other sport, unless I'm forgetting someone. I think Tyrell Biggs might have been a legitimately good basketball player but he didn't really pursue it.

 

Frazier could barely swim without drowning.
His "sprint" was pathetic.

 

Golfers are not athletes lol.

 

Good golf takes some serious co-ordination.

 

You're just some slack jawed yokel who thinks being good at exercising is the same as being an athlete.

 

JMM and MAB are both better than Morales.
Morales more popular though and that blurrs peoples oppinion who think hes better. Hes not

 

Golfers are NOT athletes.
Am I an athlete because I'm a Dentistry student? I have to pay attention over longer periods of time, use my hands a lot etc.?

 

I thought back then that Evangelista deserved the decision over Ali. Going away. He was the only one landing anything even if it was a right hand to the body and a clubbing shot upstairs. When Ali did his flurry thing, he missed. He was missing every punch he threw in there against the guy. His flicking jab missed. Shoe-shining for about 20 seconds a round. Lose 2:40 of the round, but shoeshine and play to the crowd and he wins the round. Evangelista is/was no Willie Pep in there and not landing against that defense is mind boggling for a champion of that ilk.

But I never bought into that shill announcer in Cosell on those Ali fights---he gave every round to Ali basically because Muhammad wasn't getting badly hurt in there. Of course he wasn't. The guy was no Shavers or hitter of any kind and that's why he was selected as an opponent anyway. By the same token, Alfredo was not getting hurt himself. He wasn't even absorbing and Ali may have landed fewer clean right hands against this guy than he did Young. Evengelista was rolling and avoiding Ali's clean punching much better of the two.

But Ali looked horrible in there but Arum's cashcow had already showed how hard it was going to be to beat him via scorecards. So how is a guy with the tools of Evangelista supposed to ko a guy like Ali?