The reason for the decline of American heavyweights?

[bsrizpac]

There's a more logical reason than that...

The "they go into other sports" argument has always been a bit of a copout if you ask me.

Let's see who gets it first.

Oh boy. So you basically created a thread and when people give their honest opinion you think it's a copout.

let me guess :

American heavyweights have always been overrated and refused to fight overseas. Now that Europeans are involved Americans are running scared to NFL. Am I right?

[The Wire]

They're all scared to fight Tye Fields

[duffgun]

The young American heavyweights from the past often won Olympic gold's against these more experienced eastern European's

[x-PeROxiDE-x]

World population is 6 billion. The US has 300 million, 1/20 of the world's population.

So it makes perfect sense that not all the top heavyweights would be from the US...

Professional boxing was not permitted in the Soviet Union, but now they are free to do whatever they want. So better fighters are emerging from Eastern Europe - from what I understand, the next generation of boxers from the former Soviet republics will be even better.

And there we have it my friends.

The top American heavyweights were never as big as the fighters from the former USSR, but Soviet fighters could not turn pro, so Americans dominated.

But, now they are allowed to turn pro, and they have a significant natural size advantage, making them more effective in the division. All the true American greats would have struggled with the Klitschko's, if only for their sheer size.

[x-PeROxiDE-x]

Oh boy. So you basically created a thread and when people give their honest opinion you think it's a copout.

let me guess :

American heavyweights have always been overrated and refused to fight overseas. Now that Europeans are involved Americans are running scared to NFL. Am I right?

As usual, no.

[abadger]

Well, the most obvious answer I can see is a simple one:

Chance

[bsrizpac]

And there we have it my friends.

The top American heavyweights were never as big as the fighters from the former USSR, but Soviet fighters could not turn pro, so Americans dominated.

But, now they are allowed to turn pro, and they have a significant natural size advantage, making them more effective in the division. All the true American greats would have struggled with the Klitschko's, if only for their sheer size.

Great Point.

American heavyweights always were second best:


Wlad Klit TKO Prime Ali Round 1
Vlad Klit TKO Prime George Foreman Round 1
Valuev KO Prime Evander Holyfield Round 2
Barney Rubble KO Prime Mike Tyson Round 1

[Left2body]

Almost alll of the large athletic males are being spotted and groomed for football and basketball.

I'm not sure if Euro's understand at how young these kids are being filtered out from the pack. Kids are being followed by recruits around 12years old.

It actually makes more sense too since there is a much larger likely hood of success in the NFL or NBA. There is only one HW champ but 100's of Heavyweight sized millionaries in the NFL or NBA. A (top 10 at there position) HW sized NFL/NBA player will make more money than even the HW champion.

[Sin City]

And there we have it my friends.

The top American heavyweights were never as big as the fighters from the former USSR, but Soviet fighters could not turn pro, so Americans dominated.

But, now they are allowed to turn pro, and they have a significant natural size advantage, making them more effective in the division. All the true American greats would have struggled with the Klitschko's, if only for their sheer size.

why is it that they didn't have a problem with their size in the amateurs then??

[bsrizpac]

As usual, no.

Uh that's pretty much what Tunney said that you agreed to. Europeans includes EASTERN europeans.