What is it about these big guys?

[guru]

Because the average boxing fan finds boxers like the one in your avatar to be exceptionally boring.

true.... i'm a die hard boxing fan, but i cant watch a fight with chris byrd(the majority of them anyways), even though he is a highly skilled boxer...

[Neuraxis]

Obviously, my friends insist that a UFC champion could easily beat a boxing belt holder in a boxing match with boxing rules and such. What dunces.

[jabsRstiff]

Seems like less & less heavyweight fights are ending because of power shots.

Look at Klit-Sanders, Brewtser-Klit, Lewis-Klit....these ended from attrition, exhaustion, cuts, etc.

& who the **** can sit through Ruiz, Byrd, & Oquendo ?

[guru]

Obviously, my friends insist that a UFC champion could easily beat a boxing belt holder in a boxing match with boxing rules and such. What dunces.

just about any boxer(180-200 lbs)would KO tito ortiz in a boxing match..... but just about any MMA fighter would beat roy jones in the octagon.... they'd just take him down and tap him out...

[m00ks]

i think its kinda unfair to attack the heavies like that.... yes, they are not as talented as smaller fighters, but they train, take risks and fight just like everyone else.... evidently heavey's are what the public wants....

look at shaq, he's not the most skilled player in the game.... in terms of pure skill, he's in the bottom of the league.... but he's still the attraction and still the most dominant player in the league.... big guys in basketball, dont have to work on the same skills the smaller guys do and because of their size, they also dont have the same ability.... that same theory can be appplied to boxing.... if you dont like the heavies, dont watch them..... why bash them??? what are they really doing wrong to sport??

I don't think it's accurate to say that (reference to shaq).
You said it yourself, Shaq dominates only because of his size. Boxing is one on one sport and not 5-5. You know that size does not mean an assured victory in boxing.As Steward said, "If that were the case, all you have to do is be the biggest guy in the gym to become the champion!" My question to your post is how would Shaq do in basketball if all the players we're as big, heavy and as tall as him?

I think that the reasons that the heavyweights are getting more attention regardless of their talent pool not being as deep as the lesser weight classes is because of the history that precedes them. Ali, Foreman, Liston, Frazier going to the prime Tyson, these guys left an impression in boxing that carried the way that the heavyweight division is percieved today.

[spinksjinx]

The casual boxing fan does not want to see 12-rounds of boxing, unless someone goes down or someone gets beat up really bad. The art of boxing is lost on the sports fan who might stop on the fight, but doesn't schedule time to see it.

With heavyweights, there's a perception (perhaps a correct one) that there's a greater chance at seeing a knockout.

When was the last heavyweight fight we actually saw a true KO of which you are talking about? We get them all the time now in other divisions...Prime Example the jantuah vs rubio fight people love to see that or the tszyu vs judah fight....How about the dlh vs hopkins or the gatti vs dorin or quite possibly the knockout punch dlh gave to fernando vargas.


Those fights are from guys all under 160 and those are the kinds of outcomes the general boxing fan likes to see, You are not getting that in the heavyweight division and I cant even recall when the last true knockout came from the heavies....

[neils7147933]

Yes, but talk to a casual fan and ask him who the big-name heavyweights are and he/she will say Holyfield, Tyson, maybe even Foreman.

Boxing is really not big anymore. If it were, we'd have more network boxing and might actually be able to read boxing news in the daily sports section or see highlights on SportsCenter of non-mega fights.

I talk boxing to other sports fans at work, and sometimes other people chime in. It's always something about Tyson or Holyfield or Sugar Ray Leonard or someone retired.

The main thing people say about why they don't watch boxing anymore is that it went to pay-per-view (everyone has a "I ordered the McNeely fight... type of story) and that the decisions are fixed or that there are too many champions.

But that guy who once liked boxing might pause on a channel when he's flipping and sees a hulk like a Klitschko brother or a Jameel McCline in action. Looking for a knockout...

[guru]

I don't think it's accurate to say that (reference to shaq).
You said it yourself, Shaq dominates only because of his size. Boxing is one on one sport and not 5-5. You know that size does not mean an assured victory in boxing.As Steward said, "If that were the case, all you have to do is be the biggest guy in the gym to become the champion!" My question to your post is how would Shaq do in basketball if all the players we're as big, heavy and as tall as him?

I think that the reasons that the heavyweights are getting more attention regardless of their talent pool not being as deep as the lesser weight classes is because of the history that precedes them. Ali, Foreman, Liston, Frazier going to the prime Tyson, these guys left an impression in boxing that carried the way that the heavyweight division is percieved today.

i agree the heavey's are not as talented as smaller guys, but its unfair to attack them for not being as talented, just like it would be unfair to attack shaq for not being as skilled as kobe.... the heavey's are what they are, no need to bash them... the mainstream public will always be attracted by heaveyweight division more than the rest...

[Palma]

Guru, is your avatar the young chic from "Party of Five", if so she has really grown up! DAMN!

That's her!? DAAAAAMMMMNNNN!!
She is all grown up!

[scap]

your absolutely right, the casual fan could give a **** about watching two guys go 12 rounds, they want to see knockouts. When I try to turn a friend on to the sport that is skeptical I don't want him to watch DLH and Hopkins because they won't get it after a fight like that how great the sport is, I want them to watch a mayo v. trinidad fight, they will walk away thinking boxing is something they can't miss out on. As for the mediocre heavys, even I have to admit I would rather watch to 200+ beat on each other like Klitchko/lewis, tua/ibeabuchi, foreman/lyle than watch tapi/ayala, barrera/morales 2 (one was just to ****in good), castillo/lazcan etc. When big guys go toe to toe there is nothing better, however like somone stated earlier they 9/10 times dissappoint. HBO papperview has put us fans in a real dilemma, $40 bucks for V vd. Willimas thats ridiculous, but i will probably be a dumb**** and pay because i won't be able to stay away.