By Mark Vester
The European invasion has swept up all four of the major heavyweight titles. Fomer heavyweight champions Larry Holmes and Joe Frazier, gave their opinions to USA Today, on the recent championship win of Oleg Maskaev, and European fighters taking over the heavyweight division.
Heavyweight legend Joe Frazier, who trains fighters in Philadelphia, does not see many heavyweight prospects from America on the horizon. He feels that it's going to take a long time before the American heavyweights regain their foothold.
"It's going to take a lot of teaching, sacrifice and willpower to get where we were. Over here in America, everyone has it too easy. We have bread right here on our table. These other guys are hungry," Frazier said.
Larry Holmes, a legendary heavyweight in his own right, agreed with Frazier, and said that most heavyweight prospects move too quick - because they see dollar signs on the other side of the fence.
"Boxing isn't the NFL or NBA. It's totally different. If you win your first fight, you might get a trophy — if you're lucky. You got to get a whole lot of trophies before you get a whole lot of dollars. These guys want to turn pro right off the bat, but you can't build a house without a foundation. The Russians are workaholics. (Maskaev) dug down. He was as tight as (Rahman), but he had more 'want' in him. Sacrifice plays an important role. You have to 'want' it," Holmes said.