Pick a athlete in history that might have been able to be Heavyweight Champion

[Abe Attell]

If you could take one athlete in any sport from the age of 9, to have the best chance of growing up to win the Heavyweight title, actually has a chance to be good, who would it be?



My first thought was taking a NFL football player, possibly the athletic freaks, like BO JACKSON

The guy has similar genes to Tyson, if not a little better...at 6'1, 222lbs by the time he entered college was incredible, he was a freak of nature:

It was said that he never lifted weights when he was young...when he went to college his coach told him to bench press...Bo didn't want to because he never lifted weights, nor did he care to...anyway, Bo had to, and he supposedly put up something like 375lbs the first time he lifted...after that of course, he didn't care to lift anymore...I think he didn't lift again until he got injured and tried to make his comeback.

I think he would have a good chance to have a great chin, great power, great speed, etc.

Many things to discuss about Bo, but I will let you guys pick.

[King Koyle]

All I know is David Ortiz looks like a heavyweight boxer.Very similiar to Sam Peter.

[RAESAAD]

Bo Jackson is one of my favorite athletes of all time and he probably could have been a great boxer had he pursued a career in boxing.

[beezy 14]

Wes Unseld played for the bullets and was Ben Wallace with a lil more offense. I choose him because he was mean and had that thickness but with the muscles to go with it. He's like 6'8 and had a toughness about him having to play the post against larger people so he had heart not just bigger then everybody. So basicly he had the height of the ball player and the body of a linebacker but still agile and heart.

[mikefromstu]

Kendall Gill was a boxer growing up and a great basketball player. His father actually convinced him to play BBall instead. I think he might of had a good shot at some title. Maybe light heavy.

[Abe Attell]

I am not to sure about Basketball players:

For one, they play basketball, a girl sport like soccer...though I do like them both, they both complain with any contact.

Another thing is, yes, they are big guys, but to me they just look like bigger version of Wide Receivers, not linebackers, at least a lot of them do.

Ben Wallace for example; he is big, but he doesn't look like somebody that could take shots.

To me, bone structure is important...Ben Wallace maybe heavy, but it may have a little more to do with him being so tall, then his thickness of bone density...shrink him down to a 6'1 guy, how much would he weigh?

Even guys that weigh the same are not really the same, ex: Foreman was 6'3, 220+, kind of like Terrell Owens, but I doubt Owens is anything like Foreman...yes, T.O. looks nice, but there is something about the the way they look physically that I would always favor Foreman. For one, Foreman trained himself down to such a weight, while other guys are lifting weights to get there.

[scap]

NFL defensive Ends!

Guys like Javon Kearse and Simeon Rice come too mind!

Make no mistake about it...our HW champ plays D end somewhere in the NFL!

[SnoopySmurf]

Honestly, when you over train and become muscle bound like a lot football players, they become very bad boxers. See Too Tall Jones for a prime example.

About the only atheletes who's physical training and style of sport that is very close to boxing are basketball players. Their deltoid muscles are trained and used much like boxers. The motion of their arms used in basketball is similar to the jabbing and punching motion of boxing. I wouldn't put it past some of them to become very good boxers if the money was right.

[Abe Attell]

NFL defensive Ends!

Guys like Javon Kearse and Simeon Rice come too mind!

Make no mistake about it...our HW champ plays D end somewhere in the NFL!

Yes, I know, our Champion is playing in the NFL, god dam that NFL

The problem is that boxing doesn't have a League...without a League, a Union for boxer's rights, etc. guys that would have been boxers will continue to go play football...say what you will about boxing and its dangers, it is rare for somebody to take out your knees in boxing




I also wonder about being to big in boxing...guys like Lennox, 6'5, 245lbs, might be the max at being effective in a 12 round fight, unless they are fighting guys that are the same...but even then, People like to say Lennox was out of shape for the Vitali fight, maybe somewhat so, but I really believe it was more from the constant pressure that made him fatigued...Vitali was able to pressure him by getting past the jab, and the result was two big heavyweights getting tired early.

[Smashing]

Rugby player Jonah Lomu