Why do people think any good NBA/NFL athlete can beat the Klit bros?

[generalbulldog]

Ha ha... you're not gonna get any arguments from me, bulldog. I remember what happened to "Too Tall Jones" and Mark Gastineau (ex-NFL stars) when they tried their hand at boxing. They got their asses whipped. Being a star at one sport doesn't necessarily translate into being a successful boxer.

However..... going back to the original thread about the Klitschko's chances in MMA, I'd have to bet against it. Same reasoning. Just 'cause they've been successful boxers, it doesn't mean they'd do good in a street fight, or in MMA style fighting. I still point to Wlad's suspect chin, which hasn't been truly tested after his two humiliating KO's, and to Vitali's age, stiffness, and general lack of coordination. Given some training, I suppose they could be marginally successful, but nothing like the dominance they've shown over the bunch of incompetent losers they've faced lately.

Exactly that's my point. Being good at 1 sport doesn't mean it will translate to another. Even if the Klit bros did MMA at an early age, would they have dominated? We don't know. Maybe, maybe not. But more than likely they wouldn't dominate.

So would Lebron James be another Babe Ruth if he took up baseball at an early age and just went there? How about if he concentrated on soccer at an young age, would be another Maradona? Would he be another Federer?

Remember different sports requires different skill sets, Being overall athletic is 1 thing, but having the right skills sets to be a superstar in a certain sport is another.

So I would say more than likely no, Lebron wouldn't be another Gretzky, Maradona, Federer, Babe Ruth, Lance Armstrong, or Muhamamd Ali, if he took up those sports at an young age and concentrated in it.

And crossover stars from 1 sport really doesn't translate to another either, just to get back to the original point.

[jolz]

Calling SHAQ...

[TitoFan]

Ha ha... you're not gonna get any arguments from me, bulldog. I remember what happened to "Too Tall Jones" and Mark Gastineau (ex-NFL stars) when they tried their hand at boxing. They got their asses whipped. Being a star at one sport doesn't necessarily translate into being a successful boxer.

However..... going back to the original thread about the Klitschko's chances in MMA, I'd have to bet against it. Same reasoning. Just 'cause they've been successful boxers, it doesn't mean they'd do good in a street fight, or in MMA style fighting. I still point to Wlad's suspect chin, which hasn't been truly tested after his two humiliating KO's, and to Vitali's age, stiffness, and general lack of coordination. Given some training, I suppose they could be marginally successful, but nothing like the dominance they've shown over the bunch of incompetent losers they've faced lately.

Exactly that's my point. Being good at 1 sport doesn't mean it will translate to another. Even if the Klit bros did MMA at an early age, would they have dominated? We don't know. Maybe, maybe not. But more than likely they wouldn't dominate.

So would Lebron James be another Babe Ruth if he took up baseball at an early age and just went there? How about if he concentrated on soccer at an young age, would be another Maradona? Would he be another Federer?

Remember different sports requires different skill sets, Being overall athletic is 1 thing, but having the right skills sets to be a superstar in a certain sport is another.

So I would say more than likely no, Lebron wouldn't be another Gretzky, Maradona, Federer, Babe Ruth, Lance Armstrong, or Muhamamd Ali, if he took up those sports at an young age and concentrated in it.

And crossover stars from 1 sport really doesn't translate to another either, just to get back to the original point.

I think it's safe to say we agree on all points.

[blegit]

I think you're obviously referring to my comments against Nameless. Nameless challenged me to name any heavyweight more athletic than the Klitschkos. He said ANY heavyweight. Not necessarily a boxer. So I said this is too easy and I named Lebron James who is 6' 8" 255 pounds along with many other heavyweights. By heavyweight standards the Klitshkos are no where near top of athleticism. They are not athletic. That was my point. Who said anything about Lebron outboxing anyone And its a moot point to ponder if Lebron grew up boxing. He would definitely have the most athleticism that heavyweight boxing has ever seen. You can't measure chin or heart. We'd have to see. But Lebron, Ray Lewis, and many other heavyweights would have the Klitschkos easily outbeat in athleticism. But in boxing we all know there are more factors. We don't know if they have the more unless they grew into the sport. Boxing is a specialist sport and no athlete is going to come in as a 20 something year old and beat a Klitschko. Lets be real and not spin things.

[TitoFan]

It wasn't YOUR comments I was replying to, blegit.

[blegit]

It wasn't YOUR comments I was replying to, blegit.

No, I know. I was referring to the thread and Bulldog. My bad for not specifying.

[TigerFan]

Personally I don't see the correlation between hitting a jumpshot and the ability to give and take a punch. Have you seen most NBA fights? I remember Shaq when he tried to hit Brad Miller who wasn't even looking and Shaq still missed and damn near tripped over his own feet.

It's just not their sport. Ever see Mike Tyson play basketball that was just sad. Then there's Jermain Taylor on one of those countdown shows he was shooting hoops with his wife(who i believe played in college) and he can't even dribble. He hops with the ball, then airballed a shot. Again it's not their sport put Lebron James in the ring with Tyson...see what happens

Ray Lewis? Everybody loves to bring him up when this topic is discussed. Hell, Eddie Chambers would probably whip his ass like he did another Football guy, Derric Rossy. I won't even go into what the Klitschko's would do to him. But on the flipside, put Wlad at Wide Receiver and send him across the middle and see what happens

Bottom line it's not their sport. We'll never know how NBA/NFL guys would do if they took up boxing at a young age so why even debate it.

[Hunter]

I think you're obviously referring to my comments against Nameless. Nameless challenged me to name any heavyweight more athletic than the Klitschkos. He said ANY heavyweight. Not necessarily a boxer. So I said this is too easy and I named Lebron James who is 6' 8" 255 pounds along with many other heavyweights. By heavyweight standards the Klitshkos are no where near top of athleticism. They are not athletic. That was my point. Who said anything about Lebron outboxing anyone And its a moot point to ponder if Lebron grew up boxing. He would definitely have the most athleticism that heavyweight boxing has ever seen. You can't measure chin or heart. We'd have to see. But Lebron, Ray Lewis, and many other heavyweights would have the Klitschkos easily outbeat in athleticism. But in boxing we all know there are more factors. We don't know if they have the more unless they grew into the sport. Boxing is a specialist sport and no athlete is going to come in as a 20 something year old and beat a Klitschko. Lets be real and not spin things.

The Klitchkos are more athletic than you think. Vitali was a kickboxing champion. There are different types of athleticism. What makes you think Lebron is more athletic than Wladimir? Cause he can jump higher? ESPN ranked boxing as the toughest sport to compete in, so you are saying an athlete from a lesser sport could have dominated?

[JonesJrMayweather]

Who's to say that just because the klits are only using their hands that they couldnt be great at any other sport? It takes a lot of balance to box, having competed in all three, football, boxing, basketball, plus track and field..I will say that boxing requires more from the body than any of those sports with basketball being a distant last. Might I add just for reference that I can currently run 2 miles in 9:10...so thats 4:35 per mile pace. And in a open mile I've gone as low as 4:02. And it still doesn't demand as much as sparring a hard 6 rounds let alone 12 on the level that pros do it.

So having said that, I don't think that there's a basketball player in the nba that would stand a chance to last more than 2 rounds with either of them. And NFL, I'll give them all a punchers chance, but a very slim one. I mean shaq played basketball his entire life and still didn't manage to match his footwork with his size until late in his career. I mean I've seen Kobe bryant wobbled by a punch from 6'2 190 pound Chris Childs so Vitali knocks his fucking head off easily.

another thing is one has to address the mentality of each athlete as their chosen profession speaks volume to their mindset in regards to the sport itself. The Klits are doctors boxing because they like it. NBA players cry about hand slaps, and being scratched they constantly scream "OUCH ,FOUL"..So while lebron maybe can jump high and dribble I'd doubt he could withstand the the idea of a punch coming from a man his size.

[amat]

I think it's pretty obvious that Wlad is pretty athletic.

I think people are greatly misunderstanding things. P4P isn't arguing that tomorrow Lebron James could dedicate himself to boxing and make it. He's saying that if James had been boxing since childhood instead of playing basketball, you could damn near guarantee he would be pretty good. I subscribe to that theory.

Yes he comes from a different planet, he very well may be the greatest combination of size and athleticism the world has ever seen. That may be a stretch but it may not be. His mental makeup, will and volition to get better would ensure success in boxing.

No way he beats Wlad now or any time in the future, maybe he never does it period, but it's common sense that he would be successful had he taken it up instead of basketball.

[blegit]

I think it's pretty obvious that Wlad is pretty athletic.

I think people are greatly misunderstanding things. P4P isn't arguing that tomorrow Lebron James could dedicate himself to boxing and make it. He's saying that if James had been boxing since childhood instead of playing basketball, you could damn near guarantee he would be pretty good. I subscribe to that theory.

Yes he comes from a different planet, he very well may be the greatest combination of size and athleticism the world has ever seen. That may be a stretch but it may not be. His mental makeup, will and volition to get better would ensure success in boxing.

No way he beats Wlad now or any time in the future, maybe he never does it period, but it's common sense that he would be successful had he taken it up instead of basketball.

And I absolutely agree. This is all I was saying too and somehow people are picking only certain parts and come up with "Lebron boxing a Klitshko." The bottom line is that Lebron is way more athletic than the Klitschkos. How does anybody refute that with a straight face?

[p4pking]

I think it's pretty obvious that Wlad is pretty athletic.

I think people are greatly misunderstanding things. P4P isn't arguing that tomorrow Lebron James could dedicate himself to boxing and make it. He's saying that if James had been boxing since childhood instead of playing basketball, you could damn near guarantee he would be pretty good. I subscribe to that theory.

Yes he comes from a different planet, he very well may be the greatest combination of size and athleticism the world has ever seen. That may be a stretch but it may not be. His mental makeup, will and volition to get better would ensure success in boxing.

No way he beats Wlad now or any time in the future, maybe he never does it period, but it's common sense that he would be successful had he taken it up instead of basketball.

Thank you, that was indeed all I was trying to get across. To address the original post literally is just so completely pointless and self evident I didn't bother. I've never heard anyone say that a given NFL or NBA player could beat any decent fighter if they just chose to take up boxing tomorrow, only that they posses physical tools which are far superior to begin with, and with training could have made much better fighters. This thread is really quite stupid.

[blegit]

Who's to say that just because the klits are only using their hands that they couldnt be great at any other sport? It takes a lot of balance to box, having competed in all three, football, boxing, basketball, plus track and field..I will say that boxing requires more from the body than any of those sports with basketball being a distant last. Might I add just for reference that I can currently run 2 miles in 9:10...so thats 4:35 per mile pace. And in a open mile I've gone as low as 4:02. And it still doesn't demand as much as sparring a hard 6 rounds let alone 12 on the level that pros do it.

So having said that, I don't think that there's a basketball player in the nba that would stand a chance to last more than 2 rounds with either of them. And NFL, I'll give them all a punchers chance, but a very slim one. I mean shaq played basketball his entire life and still didn't manage to match his footwork with his size until late in his career. I mean I've seen Kobe bryant wobbled by a punch from 6'2 190 pound Chris Childs so Vitali knocks his fucking head off easily.

another thing is one has to address the mentality of each athlete as their chosen profession speaks volume to their mindset in regards to the sport itself. The Klits are doctors boxing because they like it. NBA players cry about hand slaps, and being scratched they constantly scream "OUCH ,FOUL"..So while lebron maybe can jump high and dribble I'd doubt he could withstand the the idea of a punch coming from a man his size.

You're a sharp runner. Got to give it to ya. But I think it depends what sports you've been a part of longer. My only statement is that Lebron and many of those heavyweights from other sports are more athletic than the Klitschkos. I'm sure if the Klitschkos didn't grow up boxing and came to the sport in their 20s then they would be just an opponent for even a B level guy. Boxing is a specialist sport. You must be involved early to attain success like the top fighters. I've been in boxing almost 20 years and it is not the hardest sport for me. To each's own.

[p4pking]

There's another completely pointless arguement, what the "hardest" sport might be. Any given sport is infinetely difficult, and mastering a physical discipline is completely impossible regardless of how or how often you train. All you can do for arguements sake is compare the playing field and what level of athletes currently take part in a given sport, and anyone who would make an arguement that boxing or MMA currently is anywhere near the top here needs their head checked as far as I'm concerned.

[blegit]

I think you're obviously referring to my comments against Nameless. Nameless challenged me to name any heavyweight more athletic than the Klitschkos. He said ANY heavyweight. Not necessarily a boxer. So I said this is too easy and I named Lebron James who is 6' 8" 255 pounds along with many other heavyweights. By heavyweight standards the Klitshkos are no where near top of athleticism. They are not athletic. That was my point. Who said anything about Lebron outboxing anyone And its a moot point to ponder if Lebron grew up boxing. He would definitely have the most athleticism that heavyweight boxing has ever seen. You can't measure chin or heart. We'd have to see. But Lebron, Ray Lewis, and many other heavyweights would have the Klitschkos easily outbeat in athleticism. But in boxing we all know there are more factors. We don't know if they have the more unless they grew into the sport. Boxing is a specialist sport and no athlete is going to come in as a 20 something year old and beat a Klitschko. Lets be real and not spin things.

The Klitchkos are more athletic than you think. Vitali was a kickboxing champion. There are different types of athleticism. What makes you think Lebron is more athletic than Wladimir? Cause he can jump higher? ESPN ranked boxing as the toughest sport to compete in, so you are saying an athlete from a lesser sport could have dominated?

Are you really serious about comparing Lebron's athleticism to Wladimir Klitschkos? You know there are tests to athletic abilities. Lebron can run a 4.3 40, has a 40+ vertical, is much quicker, more agile, etc. The list goes on. Lebron was All State in Basketball and Football. The guy could be a phenom in 3 or 4 sports that are nothing alike. What does Wlad do that makes you even argue he is more athletic than Lebron? Give me something. And as far as ESPN ranking boxing as the hardest sport. Well, Ray Mercer said that MMA training was harder than boxing. While I like boxing more, I wrestled and boxed for many years and I know certainly that wrestling is harder and requires more athleticism. I only trained MMA, never competed, but the training is easily tougher.