would boxing have a different history if russians could turn pro back in the day?

[F l i c k e r]

it's surely can't just be coincidence that they dominate the higher weights these days. i know all the american boys will argue that it's a **** era but the fact is pretty much as soon as they were allowed to fight pro they cleaned up, at HW at least

Your suprisingly correct. The Soviet Union could have quite possibly dominated the boxing world in "back in the day". They had some of the best Olympians ever, so I dont see how they can not have some of the best Boxers ever.

We will never know though. They decided to become Commies.

[Klitschko2011]

Didn't Foreman and Ali beat the hell out the Soviets in the Olympics?

Ali and Foreman weren't real world champions

All of the strongest, toughest Soviets were forced to go into the military during the cold war. The Soviet Union didn't have the money of funds to develop the amatuer system.

[Lucky Charms]

Ali and Foreman weren't real world champions

All of the strongest, toughest, baddest Soviets were forced to go into the military during the cold ward. The Soviet Union didn't put any money or funds into the amatuer system.

So this is your response? "Um, well if some guy devoted his whole life to boxing he would be better than Ali. He's not a real champion."

Well I say Wlad is not a real champion! (aside from the fact he doesn't have all the belts.) The US doesn't put enough money into the amateur system (really none at all). If Dwight Howard devoted himself to boxing he'd be the greatest of all time!

[Klitschko2011]

So this is your response? "Um, well if some guy devoted his whole life to boxing he would be better than Ali. He's not a real champion."

Well I say Wlad is not a real champion! (aside from the fact he doesn't have all the belts.) The US doesn't put enough money into the amateur system (really none at all). If Dwight Howard devoted himself to boxing he'd be the greatest of all time!

basketball players are all a bunch of *******

[JACK D. RIPPER]

Your suprisingly correct. The Soviet Union could have quite possibly dominated the boxing world in "back in the day". They had some of the best Olympians ever, so I dont see how they can not have some of the best Boxers ever.

We will never know though. They decided to become Commies.

LOL, rotten Commie bastards...albeit, to be fair the U.S and British Financier elite are the ones who created and funded them. The Russian people themselves had no part of it and wanted no part of it.

[F l i c k e r]

So this is your response? "Um, well if some guy devoted his whole life to boxing he would be better than Ali. He's not a real champion."

Well I say Wlad is not a real champion! (aside from the fact he doesn't have all the belts.) The US doesn't put enough money into the amateur system (really none at all). If Dwight Howard devoted himself to boxing he'd be the greatest of all time!

Your misunderstanding. The best Soviets couldn't fight olympics or pros, meaning Foreman and Ali in the olympics were fighting the mediocre Soviets. Not the best the Soviet Union had to offer.

We wont know what would have happened if the best Soviets during that time did fight. Because USSR decided to become commies.

basketball players are all a bunch of *******

This is just dumb and has no significance to the topic at hand.

[Lucky Charms]

basketball players are all a bunch of *******

Says the guy who is not an elite level participant in ANY sport.

[Lucky Charms]

Your misunderstanding. The best Soviets couldn't fight olympics or pros, meaning Foreman and Ali in the olympics were fighting the mediocre Soviets. Not the best the Soviet Union had to offer.

We wont know what would have happened if the best Soviets during that time did fight. Because USSR decided to become commies.

I understand what the guy is saying. The fact is they didn't become boxers, and saying if they did they would be better than Muhammad Ali is ******.

[The Hammer]

VERY few towns even have boxing gyms. EVERY town has a football field, a basketball court, and a baseball field.

The US still has the most boxing gyms per capita, but from what I've read, the Eastern European countries are opening more and more each year.

Back in the sixties through the 90s, most of the best boxing gyms in the world were in the big US cities like Detroit, Boston, St. Louis, Philadelphia, and New York. There were never very many boxing gyms in the suberbs and small towns, but LOTS in the inner neighborhoods of the big cities.

But Americans are gradually losing that big advantage, many have been closing down - the rest of the world is catching up.

[-Antonio-]

You obviously know little about American culture.

They are not excuses, they are facts. Dozens boys in America dream of becoming the next Shane Mosley, Manny Pacquiao, Arthur Abraham, Floyd Mayweather, ect.. Millions of boys dream of becoming "like Mike," like Lebron, like LT, like A-Rod. Basketball and football are parts of kids school sports. All of them have access to them.

VERY few towns even have boxing gyms. EVERY town has a football field, a basketball court, and a baseball field.

They think it's a ****ty excuse, but it's 100% true.