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

[p4pking]

But I'm sure Wlad is a better Kite surfer, and he only started in his twenties. Tough call really.

[rjj tszyu]

Completely different sports with different skillsets. Just because someone is good at the skills involved in say basketball doesn't mean they could turn their hand to any other sport! Normally when someone is awesome at a sport, that is it they are just naturally gifted at that sport and then they have dedicated themselves to that sport and made themselves world class. Same thing goes for the Klits, they are very good boxers and very good athletes but could they shoot hoops? Probably not. Could a world class basketball player have thrown a great jab, a great left hook, a wonderful straight right hand? Could they follow a boxing game plan with someone trying to basically trying to render them incapable of being able to stand up anymore? I doubt it!

Wayne Rooney is a great athlete over here, he is probably the best British footballer right now. He also did boxing from an early age, but when it came to making a choice he just couldn't cut it as a boxer and made his choice based on that and chose football. He may have won a few fights in early stages, but had he made it even to televised boxing he would have been seriously beaten up. Fact.

Athleticism isn't enough, boxing requires great mentality just like other sports but it is a different mentality just like golf and swimming require different mindsets!

[p4pking]

No way, Ray Lewis would destroy Wlad in a game of tennis, anyone who doesn't see this is just crazy!!!

[Dizaster]

The best way I can think of it is, Roy Jones.. Probably the most athletically gifted boxer that may ever have boxed, and no way he beats either of the klit brothers in a boxing match..

[HattonTheHammer]

Is there actually someone dumb enough in the world today to actually believe something as absurd as this?

If so id happily chip in with £10 to see the biggest baddest NFL star get laid out inside 15seconds!!

[Zilla]

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 saw Shaq fight Oscar. I think had he taken up boxing at an early age he could have been decent. He actually won one round against DLH. But one thing was certain; Shaq was fat. He got winded and that's when Oscar came on. No doubt if Shaquille had good coordination and a chin he could have blown the Klitschkos out the water, but that's those intangibles that can't be taught. If it was all about athleticism then Tye Fields would be a champ right now. Ex NBA player, huge and studly, but he's everyone's whipping boy in a boxing ring.

[Hunter]

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?

If the K would be basketball champions, at 6.7 and 6.8 with not an oz of fat you would probably say they are the most gifted things on earth.

And that is about the most misconstrued IF you could ever come up with. The Klitsshcko's couldn't possibly be GREAT basketball players, their size is completely typical of so many guys in the NBA who are MUCH faster, stronger, with way better reflexes. Of course it's pointless to compare guys who are in different sports for a large part, but there are certain measures of athletecism which aren't entirely specific to one sport. You think the Klitschko's 40 yard dash, bench press, vertical leap, etc. Would come anywhere CLOSE to even a half decent NFL linebacker or power forward in the NBA? Of course not.

I have no idea what Wlad vertical and 40 yard dash is but if I had to bet I would say it is better than 50% of NFL linebackers. I would also say that Wlad is stronger, has less body fat, and more stamina than 95% of NFL backers. I would say he has better hand speed than 100%...

I am not saying Wlad is a better athlete than Lebron but there are things that Wlad can do better than Lebron and vise versa. It is hard to compare them when you only see a snapshot of what Wlad can do. I think you can take any top athlete and say if they focused on another sport they could have had success. Michael Jordan proved you cant just switch it up and dominate....

[Howlin Mad Missy]

Inspired by another recent thread here.

Now as I've said, I'm not a fan of Wlad's style, but even I have to acknowledge the man has great skills and is athletic for his size in the boxing ring.

It seems that there are a lot of people out there that thinks that if Shaq or Lebron James or Ray Lewis took up boxing either at a young age or later age that they can beat the Klit bros and be HW champs.

We dont know that. Being good at one sport doesn't translate to another. See Michael Jordan as a prime example A great NBA player but a mediocre baseball player who couldn't hit, field, or even run the bases without looking goofy. Those 2 sports stars at the highest level like an Deion Sanders or Bo Jackson is incredibly rare. Would anyone here think that Lebron James could be like Roger Federer or Wayne Gretzky if he took up tennis or hockey at an early age instead of basketball? I'm sure there's a lot of people out there that thinks Lebron can be another Gretzky or Federer if he took up those sports, I don't.

Being a good big athlete at another sport doesn't mean it would mean the same thing in the boxing ring. Things like stamina, the ability to take a punch to the body or head and having good movement inside that boxing ring also has to be taken into consideration. At the HW division size is 1 thing, but usually it's great skills that determines the winner much more than size imo.

What do you guys think?

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

Because they're stupid

[generalbulldog]

Wilt Chamberlain was considered to be the Lebron James of his day. An athlete that did outrageous things on the basketball court just like James. And he wanted to fight a prime version of this guy.




Anyone here thinks that Chamberlain could have beaten Ali? How about if Chamberlain took up boxing as a youngster and stuck to it? Would he still be able to beat a prime ALi? I really wished that Ali would have taken this fight and fought Chamberlain. It would have put any bullshit notion that some great NBA athlete can beat a prime HW champion.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1Xjt-1Zvwo

[JonesJrMayweather]

I'd bet my legs that if every NFL athlete were given an entire year to train that the KILTS would kayo all them inside of two rounds within the following year.

NBA, Vitali kayos the entire western conference in three months while WVlad takes the east...

[aliceodds]

Well we have some example of a man who trained basketball and then became a boxing champion. It is Nikolai Valuev of course. And how is he doing everybody knows. He is good - he is even very good - but he will not be the best. And he is still said to be good because of his size only...

[God.in.my.corner]

Does anyone wonder why the HW is crap these days? It's because all the potential great American heavies are all in the NFL or the NBA. More money there, and you don't have to deal with Don King.

LB James has double the athletic ability as the K Bros.

I would like to see Ron Artest instead.

[sumkalambay]

The best way I can think of it is, Roy Jones.. Probably the most athletically gifted boxer that may ever have boxed, and no way he beats either of the klit brothers in a boxing match..

no shit smartass. only about 100 pounds of pure muscle between them.

[amat]

All I'm saying is if you take Vitali and Michael Jordan and make them both play baseball, I think Jordan wins.

[El Kabong]

If it was all about athleticism then Tye Fields would be a champ right now. Ex NBA player, huge and studly, but he's everyone's whipping boy in a boxing ring.

...Tye Fields isn't athletic, he's just a big tall white dude. There is a difference between being able to play a sport and "being athletic".

Michael Vick is athletic but he's shit for a QB

Larry Bird was an awesome basketball player but he wasn't as athletic as most of the guys in the league.

Wlad is athletic, he moves extremely well for a big guy. He's very agile and quick for a big guy. Tye Fields is just a big dude who played college ball at freaking San Diego State!!! There's a big reason why he doesn't play in the NBA, I'm guessing he's not very athletic.........or good at basketball, which is why he would play at San Diego State.