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

[Mikhnienko]

The OP was NOT a hater's question, however you seem VERY insecure not to acknowledge that OF COURSE things would have been different.

Americans don't realize that the same reasoning can be applied to any other country, they're bereft of logic.
I'd use the same simile "can be read like a book" since Americans are so predictable with their feeble excuses but it wouldn't apply since Americans don't read. (except for gossip magazines of course, have to stay up to date with what their celebs are eating,wearing,smoking,drinking)

[GJC]

It seems to me that it is more a case that ex-communist nation's whose boxers stayed amateur are now turning professional. It does make you wonder if Teófilo Stevenson and Félix Savón had the same oppotunities or László Papp had been allowed to turn professional earlier and been allowed to pursue his professional career.

[revs1227]

oh hell yeah wouldnt have been the same at all

[Enayze]

I thought this was settled when the best thing to come out of eastern europe, a prime Vitali Klitschko, was stopped by a past prime, poorly conditioned Lennox Lewis. Next best is his brother who has been knocked out 3 times by guys who nobody talks about anymore, because the three of them never amounted to anything.

How can you say the competition is anything more than garbage compared to nearly any other era?

That Vitali Klitschko was also fighting with one eye, with blood blinding the rest of his face.

Maybe Vitali was at his best, and Lewis was past his prime, but factor in the injury and they become equal, not to mention Lewis was 37, the same age Vitali is now

[KILLA RIGHT]

**** era who cares

[βetamax]

I'd say it's a combination of the world catching up and a decline of US participation in boxing. Even in basketball where they is high participation in the US, we've become less dominate. However, it can't be denied that interest in boxing has badly declined since the 80's. For example:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=3261511&type=story

In the past 20 years, though, there has been a decrease in the number of boxing gyms in New York, going from a high of 150 in the five boroughs in the mid-1980s to about 50 today.

[mastersteve]

maybe cubans not russians

[VirusTI]

Hell yea, i am %100 sure that there was a russian ALI that could not make it out of the USSR.

Dont use the NBA excuse, the best kpckey player in the world is a russian ,if he was to be boxer(6'2 220 pounds)...

[NakiFan]

usa! Usa! Usa! Usa!

[Nautilus]

I think the history of professional boxing would be quite different. There would still be Ali, Foreman, Holyfield, Marciano, and Tyson in this history, but there would also be quite a few great boxers in this history, coming from Cuba, former USSR, and eastern European countries.