Potential Great Heavyweights in the NFL?

[hamed]

I read an article recently where the writer stated that the heavyweight division was/is down these days because great athletes who @ one time might have been pro fighters are now in the NFL as LB's, RB's, etc.. I was thinking of recent or current players who might have been top fighters had they chosen that route instead:

Ray Lewis (has both 1st & last name in common with some boxing greats - even though Joe's was spelled: Louis, Lennox wasn't bad either)

Bo Jackson

Hershel Walker

Lawrence Taylor

Dante Culpepper

The LB from the Redskins: Arrington - played college ball @ Penn State

I'm sure there are plenty of others.

[CONN CHRIS]

That sounds great, but would we just end up with reincarnations of Ed Jones, Mark Gastineau and Alanzo Highsmith?

I think that the problem is at the youth level where other sports are chosen over the sweet science. Teaching old dogs new tricks has unfortunately not worked well in the recent past.

Lawrence Cley-Bey is the exception rather than the rule. (he picked up boxing in his late twenties)

[mh2365]

Tom Zbikowski, SS for Notre Dame, is supposively one hell of a fighter.

[Mudster]

lol...this almost sounds like the "I must've been so and so in a past life". No one ever says some unknown person. I bet there are some linebackers and fullbacks that never see anything but special teams that probably have chins like granite and can throw monster combinations but are barely good enough to sit on the end of the bench of a football team. I would bet that some of the best "non boxing" athletes that would have the potential to be great fighters, albiet at small weight divisions, would be the table tennis players that you see in the olympics. These guys have incredible hand speed and reflexes, and if they can take half of a punch, could be dangerous defensive fighters.

[hamed]

Originally Posted by CONN CHRIS

That sounds great, but would we just end up with reincarnations of Ed Jones, Mark Gastineau and Alanzo Highsmith?

I think that the problem is at the youth level where other sports are chosen over the sweet science. Teaching old dogs new tricks has unfortunately not worked well in the recent past.

Lawrence Cley-Bey is the exception rather than the rule. (he picked up boxing in his late twenties)

I think the writer meant guys who would have taken up boxing before & instead of playing football. Some of these super athletes that are good @ any # of sports but usually just pick one. Yup, the guys you mentioned just thought they were big & tough (and were) & could just be good @ boxing after their football careers were over.

It's Levar Arrington from the Redskins, a super athlete! 2 others from the Panthers: LB Dan Morgan & Julius Peppers might have made interesting heavyweights.

I heard that @ one time people were trying to get Jim Brown to fight Ali but Ali was such a nice guy that he asked to meet with Brown once & then told him to try & hit Ali. After a little more than a minute, Brown just swung & missed all his punches @ Ali while Ali lightly slapped Brown in return. Ali could have easily taken that fight, made a bunch of money but didn't want to humiliate Brown in a big match.

[CONN CHRIS]

Originally Posted by hamed:
I think the writer meant guys who would have taken up boxing before & instead of playing football.

Boxing gets to be a better payday with every year that goes by. Perhaps that money that has ruined so much of the sport will actualy lure young athletes into the game and end up saving it one day.

How would that be for a silver lining in a spitoon?

CONN

[meade95]

I would have to go with the toughest and meanest LB to play the game since old Dick Butkis......Greg Lloyd!! - Funny as hell to read what other NFL players have said about him -

Steve Young, Mark Brunell and a few other QB's said he was the only guy that they were truly scared of -

I remember back in 1996-97 when all the problems in Bosnia were going on - Dan Marino said...to solve that issue...."we just need to send in #95 Lloyd armed with just a sock and a cue ball and he'll take care of the whole mess" -

He was something else to watch - Went 110 mph each play - Staff infection ended his career -

[bigtrouble77]

I saw LT fight in the toughman competition back when he commentated for it. He jumped in from the commentator's booth to replace an injured guy.

Lemme just say he's no fighter. No natural ability to fight whatsoever and he has a glass chin. Everytime he got hit in the head he was wobbled, although he never went down.

[hamed]

Originally Posted by CONN CHRIS

Boxing gets to be a better payday with every year that goes by. Perhaps that money that has ruined so much of the sport will actualy lure young athletes into the game and end up saving it one day.

How would that be for a silver lining in a spitoon?

CONN

Great point, I hope you're right!

[hamed]

Originally Posted by bigtrouble77

I saw LT fight in the toughman competition back when he commentated for it. He jumped in from the commentator's booth to replace an injured guy.

Lemme just say he's no fighter. No natural ability to fight whatsoever and he has a glass chin. Everytime he got hit in the head he was wobbled, although he never went down.

Since he's an ex Tar Heel, so much the better, LOL! From what I read/heard, he was no student while in college either.

[crusadecat]

How about Brian Urlacher, he uses boxing in his conditioning and he looks the part.