Hopkins Turns 47, Worries About Sport’s Future

[ИATAS]

Not in fighting shape obviously, but Frazier was never physically able to come close to someone like Holyfield physique wise. Did it matter? Nope.

that picture is not him in the ring is it? Look at the picture I posted against Ali in the first fight, that was about his prime.

Additionally Frazier was fighting since he was a teenager and was a decorated amateur. Again, the entire point here is that there is simply hardly any american's going into boxing these days. The size of the talent pool is drastically that of what it was 20, 30, 40, 50+ years ago. This is a fact man. When you dramatically decrease the size of the talent pool obviously that is going to take a huge toll on the sport, especially heavyweights were you not only need skills but you need size as well (for the most part).

Why didn't you comment on the fact that NYC has less than 10 gyms compared to 20 years ago when they had over 150 gyms? What does that tell you? The answer should be obvious.

It's a matter of recruitment. If you have 1,000 young kids going into football & basketball and 10 going into boxing, obviously the chances of the more talented athletes being in boxing is terribly small.

[Mr. Fantastic]

Look at these bodybuilding boxers. The playing other sports is one of the biggest loads of crap I've ever read.

[ИATAS]

I thought this was about the NFL and athleticisicism?

NFL, the NBA, & athleticism yes. Thanks for ignoring everything I wrote though. If you can't figure out that 41 million young kids are playing other sports than boxing and how that just might have a negative effect on american boxing then I can't help you man.

If you can look at the top 5 american heavyweights and not realize there is a major problem there then you're simply an idiot.

[ИATAS]

Look at these bodybuilding boxers. The playing other sports is one of the biggest loads of crap I've ever read.

again it's not about big muscles and of course you can point to a few examples here and there of fat fighters who were successful but the chances are even those guys you just posted (foreman, bowe) if they were born in this era they would never have been boxing to begin with, they would have gone into some other sport. Hardly any young kids go to boxing gym these days to become professional boxers. It's rare these days for a kid to dream about becoming a pro fighter unless their parents force them to go or by random chance.

Again over 150 boxing gyms in NYC 20 years ago compared to less than 10 today. Care to comment on that? Or is this just a fact you guys would love to ignore? Let's all hold hands and pretend boxing is just as popular with the youth today as it ever was! Boxing is on primetime TV! Boxing is a major sport in america! Yeee!!

[El.Naranjito707]

Hopkins shouldn't have to worry unless he blew all his money.

[nomadman]

NFL, the NBA, & athleticism yes. Thanks for ignoring everything I wrote though. If you can't figure out that 41 million young kids are playing other sports than boxing and how that just might have a negative effect on american boxing then I can't help you man.

If you can look at the top 5 american heavyweights and not realize there is a major problem there then you're simply an idiot.

Of course there's a problem, or more specifically a series of problems, and most of them are to do with the sport of boxing itself. The NFL and the NBA are merely convenient excuses to shift the blame onto something that's unlikely to change anytime soon, which is why I have no time for them.

[ИATAS]

Of course there's a problem, or more specifically a series of problems, and most of them are to do with the sport of boxing itself. The NFL and the NBA are merely convenient excuses to shift the blame onto something that's unlikely to change anytime soon, which is why I have no time for them.

ok, if you have 41 million american kids going into mostly football and basketball rather than boxing, you don't see how that correlates at all?

[nomadman]

again it's not about big muscles and of course you can point to a few examples here and there of fat fighters who were successful but the chances are even those guys you just posted (foreman, bowe) if they were born in this era they would never have been boxing to begin with, they would have gone into some other sport. Hardly any young kids go to boxing gym these days to become professional boxers. It's rare these days for a kid to dream about becoming a pro fighter unless their parents force them to go or by random chance.

Again over 150 boxing gyms in NYC 20 years ago compared to less than 10 today. Care to comment on that? Or is this just a fact you guys would love to ignore? Let's all hold hands and pretend boxing is just as popular with the youth today as it ever was! Boxing is on primetime TV! Boxing is a major sport in america! Yeee!!

So where are all the big athletic non-American kids going then? Care to answer that?

[nomadman]

ok, if you have 41 million american kids going into mostly football and basketball rather than boxing, you don't see how that correlates at all?

Yes I see a correlation. So what? What can be done about it? Nothing. American boxing's main problems are internal, and fixable, if people would stop looking outwards for a change.

[Mr. Fantastic]

again it's not about big muscles and of course you can point to a few examples here and there of fat fighters who were successful but the chances are even those guys you just posted (foreman, bowe) if they were born in this era they would never have been boxing to begin with, they would have gone into some other sport. Hardly any young kids go to boxing gym these days to become professional boxers. It's rare these days for a kid to dream about becoming a pro fighter unless their parents force them to go or by random chance.

Again over 150 boxing gyms in NYC 20 years ago compared to less than 10 today. Care to comment on that? Or is this just a fact you guys would love to ignore? Let's all hold hands and pretend boxing is just as popular with the youth today as it ever was! Boxing is on primetime TV! Boxing is a major sport in america! Yeee!!

Boxing destroyed itself if you compared it what it was back then. Too much greed and people lose interest.

It also has to do that it's not American dominated as much as it was before.


MMA is avoiding the mistakes boxing has made and that's why it is picking up so much momentum.