Whats Wrong with American Heavyweights?

[Johnny Rebel]

I completely agree with rambov's post. Boxing is no longer one of the mainstream sports so when you have some of these incredible athletes with speed, power, size, etc. There are better "options" than boxing to harness their talents. There are all kinds of youth sports such as basketball, football etc. at the parks, schools but there isn't boxing. Imagine if some of the current NBA or NFL stars had focused their training in boxing at a very young age given the talents they have? Imagine Shaq as a heavyweight....... Dwight Howard, Lebron James, Allen Iverson, Terrell Owens, Ray Lewis.....the list goes on and on.

These "athletes" cant even win the gold in the Olympics in their own sport of basketball, no less dominate boxing...

Do you think the Russian heavyweights dominating the division right now would be good football and basketball players?

[Haglerwins]

The best physical specimens (black or white) for American heavyweights are playing in the NFL. It's just a cold hard fact. You've got guys around the size of Klit with frightening speed. Some of them are at 300 lbs and can run anchor leg on relay teams. A couple of years training some of these rookies that get cut would be worthwhile. That's how talent rich the league is.

[WLAD OWNS]

I completely agree with rambov's post. Boxing is no longer one of the mainstream sports so when you have some of these incredible athletes with speed, power, size, etc. There are better "options" than boxing to harness their talents. There are all kinds of youth sports such as basketball, football etc. at the parks, schools but there isn't boxing. Imagine if some of the current NBA or NFL stars had focused their training in boxing at a very young age given the talents they have? Imagine Shaq as a heavyweight....... Dwight Howard, Lebron James, Allen Iverson, Terrell Owens, Ray Lewis.....the list goes on and on.

Excuses,excuses,excuses, and please don't mention basketball players, they are the biggest ******* on the planet and they can't fight for ****. The bigger Americans have simply gone soft and they lack the hunger and determination to be the best. Eastern European heavyweights are tougher,stronger and more determined than American heavyweights. You will rarely ever see an out of shape overweight Eastern European Heavyweight, but it is very common to see an overweight soft American heavyweight these days. The Eastern Europeans have been dominating the amateurs and winning gold for a long time, now they are all allowed to turn pro and have taken over the heavyweight division. American heavyweights are FINISHED.

[Jim Jeffries]

Excuses,excuses,excuses, and please don't mention basketball players, they are the biggest ******* on the planet and they can't fight for ****. The bigger Americans have simply gone soft and they lack the hunger and determination to be the best. Eastern European heavyweights are tougher,stronger and more determined than American heavyweights. You will rarely ever see an out of shape overweight Eastern European Heavyweight, but it is very common to see an overweight soft American heavyweight these days. The Eastern Europeans have been dominating the amateurs and winning gold for a long time, now they are all allowed to turn pro and have taken over the heavyweight division. American heavyweights are FINISHED.

I think most people don't realize that Russians couldn't fight professionally for the majority of the last century because their government wouldn't let them. People act like fighters from former Soviet blocks just came out of nowhere, no, they have only fairly recently been allowed to compete. I just love how americans cry about the sad state of the heavyweight division just because there aren't any american champs out of the 4.

[Feint]

The talent pool is small...

Larger athletes tend to get involved with other sports at a young age. So by the time they grow up they are ingrained in those sports rather than boxing.

Does that mean that just because an athlete is good at one sport that they will be good at another? No, but are there some potentially great American heavyweights that are involved in other sports? Certainly.

[Feint]

I’m an American and I like to see good boxer no matter where they are from. Would I like to see Americans do well? Of course, but I am not going to be ethnocentric and say the heavyweight division is weak just because an American isn't champion. I think Klitschko is a great fighter and I root for him, but at the same time I also think it’s unfair to say the Americans are finished in the division.

[dmaclv]

I think most people don't realize that Russians couldn't fight professionally for the majority of the last century because their government wouldn't let them. People act like fighters from former Soviet blocks just came out of nowhere, no, they have only fairly recently been allowed to compete. I just love how americans cry about the sad state of the heavyweight division just because there aren't any american champs out of the 4.

well just look at the talent dog! If Klitschko leaves who's the best heavyweight?? Chagaev or Ibragimov?? You gotta be crazy not to say the talent in the division is lackin. And today everyone is talkin bout how eastern europeans are dominating the division, that's says somethin about how good they are.

[catskills23]

The best physical specimens (black or white) for American heavyweights are playing in the NFL. It's just a cold hard fact. You've got guys around the size of Klit with frightening speed. Some of them are at 300 lbs and can run anchor leg on relay teams. A couple of years training some of these rookies that get cut would be worthwhile. That's how talent rich the league is.

I am sick of hering this crap about all the great heavyweights are playing basketball or playing american football . The simple fact is that the heavyweight divsion has never really being laden with talent . Yes there were very quick and talented fighters like tyson,ali, larry holmes and joe louis but thats about it . I mean back in the 50's and sixties when boxing was the biggest sport in the usa and basketball and american football hadnt taken of yet where were all the quick athletic heavyweights . In the fifties and sixties . Muhammed Ali and floyd patterson were the only fast heavyweights and in the eighties tyson and holmes were the only quick heavyweights . These guys were at most 220 pounds . The heavyweight today are on average 260 pounds . And as for these 7 foot tall 300 pound basketball players and 300 pound nfl players making good heavyweights . Are you kidding me these guys would be too big and muscley and would just be lumbering oafs. I mean think back to a time when the heavyweight divsion was full of great fighter . In the 90's there was holyfield and lewis , 80's there was tyson and holmes , in the 70's there was frazier , ali and foreman . in the 60's there was ali beating bums , in the 50's there was sonny liston beating bums and in the 40's there was joe louis who embarked on what he himself called the bum of the month club and before that there was marciano beating old men , bums and light heavyweights.

[BiggyGuns91]

At least when there were american heavyweights they ruled the division and had a vast oppurtunity of matches to be made. whats the best that can be made now? Wladimir vs sultan? Thats embarrassing right there. Its also pathetic how the top guy is Wladimir, the same guy who got knocked out by a mediocre american lamon brewster, the same guy that got knocked out by an american journeyman with a record of 24-13-1, same guy that got knocked out by corrie sanders. thats humiliating that not even the top dog at heavyweight is barely in the 50 pound for pound. give me an active european fighter out there that could of hanged with a Mike Tyson in his prime without getting KOed. the only european fighters ive had respect for are Lewis and wlads older brother

[Sweet Pea 50]

Yeah, the Heavyweights are dominated by eastern bloc fighters. Do you want a cookie or something? It's a boring ass division anyways.