Quote Originally Posted by The Fightfan View Post
I disagree with the whole notion of no Heavyweight's because of the other sports . Take a look at some heavyweight's from the past Lennox,Foreman,Tyson, do these look like they could have played basketball against Shaq or hit a pitch from Nolan Ryan or tackle a quarterback. I can't see any of these fighter's because that's what they are fighter's no tremendous athlete's.Do see Tyson ever running downfield and making a miraculous catch. My thought's no. Point being I think TELEVISION has played a big role in youth not being interested in boxing and the lack of boxing gym's in the suburb's. Where most athlete's are coming from now.
You also have to consider playing football and basketball has gotten a lot more lucrative over the past 10-20 years. Back in Foreman or Tyson's day you could make a whole lot more fighting professionally than playing basketball or football.

The reward has outgrown the risk. Look at a lot of the guys who are retired from football. Replaced knees, totally ruined spines and all kinds of other medical issues and the player's association doesn't take care of them. Now these guys are getting multi-million dollar signing bonuses. In the first half of the 20th century a baseball player had to take a job selling insurance or something to make ends meet. Back then boxers made more simply for the fact there wasn't an off season. Now boxers' pay has more or less leveled off but baseball, basketball and football players' salaries have rocketed exponentially in comparison. You tell me: if you were equally capable in a sport where you might break a leg and in a sport where your face would routinely get turned into hamburger which would you choose. Oh, and add to that if you get injured you still collect a paycheck in the first one and get to rely on a bench to replace you when you're tired as opposed to having to contend the whole game where a guy is constantly trying to rip your head off.

As a side note I saw footage of Tyson playing basketball with some guys and man did he stand out like a sore thumb. Half a head shorter than the shortest person on the court and still the biggest guy out there. None of the guys checked up on him either, and it wasn't because he could have torn their heads off. Tyson shot the biggest of bricks and gave a sheepish grin after. Hell, Tyson might have been too bulky to play football.