The NFL/Boxing Theory have some real weight behind it.

[sicko]

It is just a LONG PROCESS to make good money in boxing...TOO LONG ACTUALLY! Then after going through that Long Proccess it is not even a guarantee you will get a Big Money Fight since most of the Top Fighters Cherry Pick

What deal with all that when you can just go play NFL Football and make Millions then maybe comeback and try boxing once your Pro Career is Over

[pacmanis1]

Another thing a bit off subject but I talked to my friend regarding boxing and he said guys in the 70's and 70's grew up with the prospects because it was so common on TV. Mike Tyson fights as a prospect was avaiable to the masses, Broner fights is aviable to 'HBO' only.

I've been complaining about this for years. You have to search out boxing, you can't really just stumble onto it like other sports by flipping through the basic channels. I love the NFL but I wouldn't pay for a NFL Network to watch all the games if I had to, which is odd because the amount I'd ended up spending on beer on Sundays at the bar would probably be much more than what the NFL channel would be.

[White_Knight]

I have my own excuse for Australia: all the heavyweight champions are playing AFL and rugby.

[Cutthroat]

Again. I've yet to see some of these "athletes" pack a mean punch, or put any speed on their punches. Punching is a whole nother ball game. That, you are born with.

Which is why I say, we will NEVER EVER see another Tyson. So, who cares???

I agree, however you have to remember these guys started boxing very late (their 20s) and are very very raw, Tyson on the other hand was a teen when he started boxing. Why was Tyson so good? Because he was extremely athletic and had a freakish body just like these guys.

Punching is an unnatural movement, you don't know how to box unless you are taught, punching is not like throwing a ball, wrestling etc, these things are natural movements, your fists were not made to punch, its why peoples hands break so damn easily even with gloves.

Having said that you can easily see if a guy could at least make a decent boxer by the way they move, their athletic ability. When you see them move laterally, blocking shots, jumping in the air, the way their waist moves, just how quick their reflexes are and how explosive these guys are, running extremely fast etc. you can tell these guys have fast twitch muscle fibers and that they'd easily adapt to boxing.

You can also tell which guys have slow twitch muscle fibers like Valuev, Tye Fields, Julius Long, Ustinov a slow plodding athlete, slow puncher no head movement etc. Now compare that to a gifted athlete like the Klitschko bros who are extremely athletic.

[1sballotHOF]

I agree, however you have to remember these guys started boxing very late (their 20s) and are very very raw, Tyson on the other hand was a teen when he started boxing. Why was Tyson so good? Because he was extremely athletic and had a freakish body just like these guys.

Punching is an unnatural movement, you don't know how to box unless you are taught, punching is not like throwing a ball, wrestling etc, these things are natural movements, your fists were not made to punch, its why peoples hands break so damn easily even with gloves.

Having said that you can easily see if a guy could at least make a decent boxer by the way they move, their athletic ability. When you see them move laterally, blocking shots, jumping in the air, the way their waist moves, just how quick their reflexes are and how explosive these guys are, running extremely fast etc. you can tell these guys have fast twitch muscle fibers and that they'd easily adapt to boxing.

You can also tell which guys have slow twitch muscle fibers like Valuev, Tye Fields, Julius Long, Ustinov a slow plodding athlete, slow puncher no head movement etc. Now compare that to a gifted athlete like the Klitschko bros who are extremely athletic.

True, but you can't teach Tyson's power and speed. You just can't. I personally think RB's would make the best boxers, in terms of raw speed and power. WR's in terms of cruiserweight type fighters. You have to remember, a lot of pro ballers would have to drop a ton of weight, and probably not even fight at hw. Boxing training is a million times different than football training, so who knows how much athleticism/power/speed they'd lose.

[Null]

I don't really put that much thought into the whole "what if" or "coulda woulda" arguments. By that logic the next Sugar Ray Robinson could be working at Burger King right now and has never been considered any kind of athlete. We will never know. So, what is the point of speculating. Boxing is dying because of promoters. Boxing is a dying sport. There are many reasons why more people don't box and that probably has to do with the whole, knocked out, detached retina, brain damage thing. There is a reason this sport isn't as popular as other sports. I don't think many people find inflicting damage on their bodies very appealing. It is what it is. If those football players like their chances in boxing, then they will lace up some gloves and show what they are made of. Instead, most like to train and talk about fighting big names and talk about how tough they are and this and that after hitting the bag a couple of rounds. Athleticism is a small part of the equation in boxing.

[FightScorer]

I don't really put that much thought into the whole "what if" or "coulda woulda" arguments. By that logic the next Sugar Ray Robinson could be working at Burger King right now and has never been considered any kind of athlete. We will never know. So, what is the point of speculating. Boxing is dying because of promoters. Boxing is a dying sport. There are many reasons why more people don't box and that probably has to do with the whole, knocked out, detached retina, brain damage thing. There is a reason this sport isn't as popular as other sports. I don't think many people find inflicting damage on their bodies very appealing. It is what it is. If those football players like their chances in boxing, then they will lace up some gloves and show what they are made of. Instead, most like to train and talk about fighting big names and talk about how tough they are and this and that after hitting the bag a couple of rounds. Athleticism is a small part of the equation in boxing.

Well boxing is not dying in certain countries. It's actually doing quite well in Germany and of course Mexico.

When you have two big countries watching a sport, it shouldn't be considered dying.

Soccer is a global sport, the 'NFL' is a single country sport. That single country is enough. Germany and Mexico are two big countries that definitely keeps boxing active.

That being said I rather boxing be popular in the States than anywhere else.
Boxing is dying in the States though and that is a massive issue because it is still the true life blood of boxing to a extend.

Take for example: Soccer.
Soccer is extremely popular in Europe, but marketability wise Spain and England are the life line.
Barcelona, Manchester United, Chelsea, Real Madrid etc...

Soccer is just as popular in Germany as it is in England, but from a global marketing standpoint: England is more important.

Just like boxing from a global stand point is more important if America was at the center.

[strykr619]

Like none, and if you don't live in certain areas you may never come across a boxing gym in your life.

You will more the likely see the youth in the future exposed to wrestling very popular sport still in HS to college, then you would youth boxing, hence rise of MMA in America (due to amateur wrestling/bjj in the states).

Very few IF ANY High Schools have any form of boxing program now. While wrestling and football/basketball and baseball are mainstays of intramural athletics.

[pacmanis1]

Punching is an unnatural movement, you don't know how to box unless you are taught, punching is not like throwing a ball, wrestling etc, these things are natural movements, your fists were not made to punch, its why peoples hands break so damn easily even with gloves.

I've punched a bag but never stepped into a ring, I played basketball and actually wrestled and I couldn't disagree with you more. I could argue throwing a ball towards a hoop is much more difficult than throwing a punch. A punch you either throw it with everything or nothing at all. In basketball your distance away from the hoop directly correlates with how much force you put into it.

As far as wrestling, I love wrestling and respect all real wrestlers. Unless you've put another wrestler in some kind of weird pretzel cradle, please don't try to tell me it's natural. The flexibility in wrestling is crazy.

PS. I have to say this is one of the best thread I've seen in a while. Actual real discussion and opinions instead idiocracy and troll bait. Thanks to everyone.

[pacmanis1]

I don't really put that much thought into the whole "what if" or "coulda woulda" arguments. By that logic the next Sugar Ray Robinson could be working at Burger King right now and has never been considered any kind of athlete. We will never know. So, what is the point of speculating. Boxing is dying because of promoters. Boxing is a dying sport. There are many reasons why more people don't box and that probably has to do with the whole, knocked out, detached retina, brain damage thing. There is a reason this sport isn't as popular as other sports. I don't think many people find inflicting damage on their bodies very appealing. It is what it is. If those football players like their chances in boxing, then they will lace up some gloves and show what they are made of. Instead, most like to train and talk about fighting big names and talk about how tough they are and this and that after hitting the bag a couple of rounds. Athleticism is a small part of the equation in boxing.

I'm a very zen person and I find myself wondering how long boxing will last. From most, if not all aspects, boxing is the worst sport know to man in terms of long term health problems. Maybe that's why I love the Maidana's, Matthysse, and Gatti's. I love the risk they take. They fight for the moment and hope to be remembered for it, and I will remember them until the day I die.