Has a European Champion Ever Transcended to Stardom in the United States?

I can't recall. I'm sure that there have been champions from Europe that have become big boxing stars in the United States though. I thought about it because I watched Steve Kim's interview of Larry Merchant and Larry thought that it would be impossible for GGG to break through to stardom because he's European and a European fighter has never broken through to American audiences on the top level before.

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Originally Posted by Rantcatrat

I can't recall. I'm sure that there have been champions from Europe that have become big boxing stars in the United States though. I thought about it because I watched Steve Kim's interview of Larry Merchant and Larry thought that it would be impossible for GGG to break through to stardom because he's European and a European fighter has never broken through to American audiences on the top level before.

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Nigel Benn? Joe Calzaghe? Ricky Hatton?

Naseem Hamed as much of a dick head as he was surely he must be up there?

Lennox Lewis?

The Klitschkos?

The problem with most Americans is that their world is only America. Americans geography is poor in the majority.

Real fans of boxing can appreciate good boxers no matter where they are from.

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Originally Posted by ross

The Klitschkos?

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Never been accepted by many in the US media or by many American boxing fans.

Most Americans generally only like African-American boxers. There are a few cases where they will accept a boxer from another country as long as he's not white.

The Klitschkos, Hatton, Calzaghe, Dariusz have generally been ridiculed and discredited by American fans and media people.

Naseem Hamed deffinitly was. He was big miney back then and sold tickets.

Americans never warmed up to the K-Bros. While respected tremendously, Calzaghe was never a star here. His fight against RJJ and Bhop did fine business, but not BIG business. Same with Froch. Well-liked but not a star. Hatton and Hamed were received pretty well for a short period of time.

I just wonder whether guys like GGG and Kovalev, were they to continue to win, would really be marketable in the United States.

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Originally Posted by Freedom

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Originally Posted by ross

The Klitschkos?

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Never been accepted by many in the US media or by many American boxing fans.

Most Americans generally only like African-American boxers. There are a few cases where they will accept a boxer from another country as long as he's not white.

The Klitschkos, Hatton, Calzaghe, Dariusz have generally been ridiculed and discredited by American fans and media people.

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That's over-simplifying it.

Americans from PA loved Kelly Pavlik, in New York they loved Tito Trinidad, and in LA they loved Oscar De La Hoya. They weren't African American.

It might be a style thing. American might like the style of boxing that developed in the ghettos of New York in the 1920s and moved to the ghettos of Philly and Detroit in the 1970s.

I'm just thinking if Kovalev knocks out Hopkins and GGG stops Kid Chocolate, could they even become big hits in the U.S.?

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Originally Posted by Rantcatrat

I just wonder whether guys like GGG and Kovalev, were they to continue to win, would really be marketable in the United States.

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There will be some who appreciate them, but there will be other fans (and boxing writers and commentators such as Satterfield, Atlas, Farhood, Raskin and Iole) who will never accept them. Golovkin being only half-white will be better accepted than Kovalev.

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Originally Posted by Freedom

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Originally Posted by Rantcatrat

I just wonder whether guys like GGG and Kovalev, were they to continue to win, would really be marketable in the United States.

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There will be some who appreciate them, but there will be other fans (and boxing writers and commentators such as Satterfield, Atlas, Farhood, Raskin and Iole) who will never accept them. Golovkin being only half-white will be better accepted than Kovalev.

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F--k Farhood, Atlas, Iole, etc. These guys are already accepted in the US. GGG is often referred to as the euro-Pacquiao. GGG is the future of boxing. If Kovalev beats Hopkins (which I believe he will do), he too will become a monster star in the US. GGG is very close to PVV status. And who gives a shit what Satterfield or Raskin think.

GGG just needs to be promoted correctly and he can become a major star. Foreign fighters can become major stars if they are promoted correctly and matched right. Take Roberto Duran for example, and most recently Manny Pacquiao. Say what you want about guys like Don King and Bob Arum, but they really know how to promote fights and their fighters.

Naseem Hamed was also pretty big when he came to America. I remember him appearing on Jay Leno a few times, especially after his fight with Kevin Kelly at MSG.

Of course, it would be much easier for a boxer to transcend to stardom in the US if most of the compelling boxing matches were on free network tv and not on premium cable channels like Showtime and HBO, which imo has terribly hurt the sport in the US, but that's another whole topic altogether.

To stardom? Depends what your definition of that is. I can't think of any that have become superstars at the level of mayweather, Pac, de la hoya, rjj etc. There have definitely been Europeans that have reached pretty high levels of stardom here in the US but not superstardom that I can think of. Maybe I'm wrong though.

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Originally Posted by Freedom

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Originally Posted by Rantcatrat

I just wonder whether guys like GGG and Kovalev, were they to continue to win, would really be marketable in the United States.

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There will be some who appreciate them, but there will be other fans (and boxing writers and commentators such as Satterfield, Atlas, Farhood, Raskin and Iole) who will never accept them. Golovkin being only half-white will be better accepted than Kovalev.

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I would like to understand your basis for this statement. It sounds very silly. I don't think the race of the fighter matters to american fans. There is no doubt a favoritism toward American fighters though on US networks, which makes some sense, because it is, American network TV. Steve Bunce is pro-Brit too.

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Originally Posted by powerpuncher

To stardom? Depends what your definition of that is. I can't think of any that have become superstars at the level of mayweather, Pac, de la hoya, rjj etc. There have definitely been Europeans that have reached pretty high levels of stardom here in the US but not superstardom that I can think of. Maybe I'm wrong though.

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What (other) Americans do you have that have reached the level of "superstardom" of Mayweather and De La Hoya?

;D

Jones was never that big. In fact Mayweather wasn't always that big either. His first Pay per view wasn't until Gatti and they needed Gattis name to sell that!

To be honest does it really mater, Calzaghe was a great fighter, you fight were you want
if you don't like to travel outside your Country so what.!!!
Remember the Klits make big money in Europe, they don't need America,! to be honest in
America it's like a circus, you have to sell and hype yourself up.
In Europe fighters are making good money, Hopkins would not dream of fighting in Europe,
I mean he may not get one of his loved up referee, to help him out.

Remember your a star in your own Country, to most that's all that counts, remember home
town decisions happen here and in America.
America at one time ruled pro boxing, but not so much now, things change the out look
change, Look at Froch V Groves fight, how many people attended that fight, would you get
that in the states theses days.!!