All the American Heavies are playing Football/Basketball

[KO'er]

Does anybody think the fact that Andre Ward was the last US boxer to win an Olympic Gold medal is indicative of the entire US scene? People talk about up until recently no big Heavyweights coming through, but the US amateur scene has been ailing.

I think if Wilder defends his title multiple times on NBC Boxing will become more popular. I think if Boxing became as popular as it was during it's best time there would be more Heavyweights coming through.

[Monaco Slim]

His point was easy understand.

Boxing isn't popular here like it was 30 years ago

Those athletes who'd be boxing right now are in other more lucrative sports

Its not popular anymore? Thats why Floyd is breaking PPV numbers? American Boxing is always popular, its just the American boxers are not as successful anymore because of superior European talent.

Face it, Lennox Lewis and the Klitschko's dominance is what killed American heavyweight Boxing. Americans were like "**** that, we can't beat those guys, lets pick an easier sport"

[El-blanco]

His point was easy understand.

Boxing isn't popular here like it was 30 years ago

Those athletes who'd be boxing right now are in other more lucrative sports

It's a ****** argument. IF they chose to box they'd be dominating, allegedly. It can't be proven because it didn't happen, there's no way to prove it. It's a childish argument.

[ReIoaded]

That's about as ridiculous as saying there are no Canadian Heavyweight champs because they are too busy playing hockey.

[bojangles1987]

It's a ****** argument. IF they chose to box they'd be dominating, allegedly. It can't be proven because it didn't happen, there's no way to prove it. It's a childish argument.

It has nothing to do with proving American heavyweights would dominate today. It has to do with how far the quality of American heavyweights has fallen. It has to do with college rejects like Wilder, Stiverne, and Seth Mitchell, and HS stars who couldn't play in college like Jennings, being our best heavyweights. Those are the best sportsmen we're sending into boxing, guys who can't even make it at an amateur level in our most popular sports. Which, by the way, is the only reason any of them box to begin with. They couldn't make it in football or basketball and turned to boxing late.

The argument has everything to do with the quality of American heavyweights. It's not a coincidence that the decline of American heavyweights happened at the exact same time that boxing lost its status as the most popular sport in America and the NFL and NBA took its place. At least half these guys who play football or basketball in college were in boxing gyms 30-40 years ago.

You're lying to yourself if you don't think that is the difference in American heavyweights before and now. It's not even opinion, it's an obvious fact. All you have to do is look at how many fewer American boxers there are, and look at how that number declined as the NFL and NBA became popular.

[KO'er]

bojangles1987, if your an outstanding boxer it doesn't mean you'll be an outstanding Football or Basketball player.

Only a small few players are good enough to make the NBA or NFL, anybody can turn professional in boxing. I think with the collapse of the Soviet union, there was a huge intake of talent which impact the Heavyweight division.

If the Klitschko brothers didn't arrive and if the likes of Shannon Briggs or Monte Barrett held the titles the Klitschko brothers hold/held and dominated, there wouldn't be any talk about Heavyweight boxers going to the NBA or NFL. If Briggs or Barrett dominated with no eastern Europeans then people wouldn't say the US Heavyweight scene has declined.

[BillyBoxing]

Wilder has just proven what I've been saying for years, before he was even around. This is what happens when you put an athlete in boxing.

This is now a fact.

Wilder is a big man but has insane reflexes, funny thing is Stiverne himself was a football player, played at MSU. Guys like these are a dime a dozen, it's unfortunate certain circumstances kept Wilder from playing football/bball and forced him to box.

And the NEW!!!


Btw, can't believe people thought Wilder had bad stamina, he was a basketball player.

Props to Wilder he beat a tough guy.
But I'm not convinced about him being the Real Deal.
He's a freak (athletic as you mean) but I think he's fragile.

Stiverne is a tough and strong fighter, but he didn't have the style to beat Wilder.

Stiverne is a tight, patient, flat footed, strong counterpuncher.
That's OK and smart against Arreola.

But if a 6.8 ft guy is jabbing your ears off.
That's an horrible style/game plan.
Stiverne has no head movement and no footwork.

I knew he only had a puncher chance when I watched Stiverne vs Ray Austin.
Austin was ridiculously outboxing Stiverne until the 7th round where Stiverne landed a perfect punch that ended the fight.

I think Wilder will sign few good wins and then will get knocked the **** out.

It seems very hard to land clean on that small head but once it happens for real, it will crack. The Haitian never landed clean.

Wilder power is really impressive tough, he's a danger for any fighter, including Klit.

[BillyBoxing]

Again, none of those countries ruled heavyweight boxing for a century then suddenly stopped producing champions.

Because boxing was a western sport, mainly in the US.

Professional boxing started in eastern europe after the end of the cold war.
I mean in the 90s.


In the 70s 80s most heavies were americans with few brits and europeans that you can add.

[BillyBoxing]

But that sport doesn't tend to attract big men to the same extent that basketball and American football do.

And??

I mean, in the 70s and 80s all the big men were boxing and the NBA was full of 5 ft guys??

The funny thing is even the NBA is getting invaded by euro players ROFL.

What's the excuse here?
But all the NBA talent are going to the **** industry doe...

[bojangles1987]

bojangles1987, if your an outstanding boxer it doesn't mean you'll be an outstanding Football or Basketball player.

Only a small few players are good enough to make the NBA or NFL, anybody can turn professional in boxing. I think with the collapse of the Soviet union, there was a huge intake of talent which impact the Heavyweight division.

If the Klitschko brothers didn't arrive and if the likes of Shannon Briggs or Monte Barrett held the titles the Klitschko brothers hold/held and dominated, there wouldn't be any talk about Heavyweight boxers going to the NBA or NFL. If Briggs or Barrett dominated with no eastern Europeans then people wouldn't say the US Heavyweight scene has declined.

It's not just about who makes it into the NBA or NFL. It's about the thousands of kids who spent the childhoods they once spent in boxing gyms playing those sports because of how popular they are.

Again, this is something none of the people arguing this understand. Football and basketball are huge. Thousands of kids play in high school, thousands play in college. A huge number of these kids have no chance to play professionally, but they play at the amateur level because American schools are ****ing ******ed and its the best chance they have to pay for college. These are thousands of kids playing sports who never set foot in a boxing gym, where they used to.

Football and basketball culture take root at very early ages. Once again, these are a lot of the kids who used to end up in boxing gyms. I couldn't even tell you where a boxing gym is around me. Again, you can just look at how few boxers America has now compared to before. There are a lot less American boxers with a lot less talent, do you people seriously think this is a coincidence? It's ****ing absurd, you're wrong.

And I'm sorry, but you're dead wrong with your last paragraph. We'd still be talking about the NBA and NFL because we'd see how much Briggs or Barrett or any other HW of the 2000s have ****ing ****** compared to the greats we used to produce. The same way Wilder ****ing sucks compared to them, but he's the best we have.