Is it just me, or is every major champion in the boxing world black? It strikes me as a bit strange. I thought it might just be the american black people who were tougher, but then someone like Lennox Lewis who is english came along. Also black. In basketball everyone is black too, but basketball is a traditional black sport., whereas boxing was invented in England by white people. How come that all the champions are black? Are black people better built for this sort of contest?
I guess you are talking about heavyweights. When you go down the divisions you will find a different story with a lot of other fighters from a variety of races all holding titles. I dont think race makes a difference just the training and numbers of folks from a particular race participating in the sport at that weight.
Black people have 10-15% more testosterone I beleive. But don't get me wrong or anything, that is not why they are good boxers, it is because they work hard. And some inner city places have more boxing opportunities as well.
BLACK PEOPLE WERE BREAD!!!! HOLY CRAP!!! I am never eating Bunny Bread again!!!!! I feel like a cannibal!
's true, some sports announcer got his career ended for saying it, but there was a couple centuries of eugenics going on here in America, selectively breeding the biggest and strongest.
But Lennox Lewis, the current heavyweight champ is british, isn't he? Black people have more testosterone? I didn't know that.
Yeah they do have more testosterone. 10-15% more in fact, which is a big difference when gaining muscle. I just figured out that Matt meant "bred" not "bread" sorry, I didn't know what you mean, I shuold have read that more thoroughly.
I think Lewis has a sort of Triple Nationality - He was a Canadian Olympic champion and I think he has Jamaican and British family connections
As long as he represents Uk I don't care. off topic but, why isn't joe calzagy (bad spelling) getting big fights, he's da man.
This is a topic that could go on for a while! i think it is a combination of genetics but also social issues. Across every race due to historical daily life people have developed to meet the demands of thier lifestyle. Some of the african nations such as Nigeria produce very good sprinters and boxers, their genetics seem to favour sprint and power based exercise possibly sue to lifestyle. Their bones and muscle structure are heavier which makes them better suite to this type of activity. other african nations such as Ethiopia produce very good long distance runners again possibly due to the fact many children live in remote areas at high altitude and run 6 miles to school each day. The social aspects are to do with opportunites available urban areas, boxing is widely available and many people use it as way to escape their current lifestyle. Lennox Lewis was born in England, his Mum is British but he moved to Canada at a young age
You're right, it might be something social as well. Black's are the poorest race on earth and have been prosecuted for centuries. That might have something to do with their toughness. Also, black ghettos are pretty commonplace in western countries with large black populations, and ghetto life is tough.
This debate is getting into absolute nonsense territory. 10-15% higher Testosterone? Which amateur Geneticist told you that? And why make such sweeping generalisations? And Define 'Black'? Bear with me please I'm a Physical Anthropolist, at least I was until I realised that there wasn't any money in it. Firstly, I believe you are alluding to Blood groups amongst Human populations. Blood Type O being the most common athletic performer. This is the most common Blood Group amongst 'White' and 'Black' people (About 55 percent of both populations). White, as in either of Northern European or Southern European origin. Black as in of Black African origin (Not quite that simple, but it's a starting point). Blood type O has a tendency towards a 'Mesomorphic' body shape and can build Muscle more easily than say Blood type A. Ie the classic V shaped athletes body. Take a look at a population like the Basques, if you want to talk about Primordialism and Eugenics... Some points about Black American people. Most of them aren't. What I mean is, most Black Americans have a high amount of 'White' and/ or other ancestry, same goes for Black-Caribbean people too, mixed race to some degree. Average shared DNA between White and Black Americans is 33 percent. We use the term Black as a easy to understand Catch-all, but it's not a very good term and is misleading. So the point alluding to 'Purity' is a bit of a misnomer. If boxing was just about Physical strength and Size, then the Wrestlers of the WWF could train up for a bit of boxing and win every time, because there really are some Huge guys in that. Perhaps Andre the Giant should of challenged Larry Holmes for the Title, way back when? I can't see Larry taking too many Hooks from Le Grande Andre. Surely the individual skill of the man, the work that he has put in to achieve his goal, his day to day training etc etc must count for something. Again if it was all about Size and Strength, then Primo Carnera would never of been beaten... Economics. Most boxing gyms in the USA are in run down urban areas, where proportionally more people of ethnic groups other than 'White' live, work and grow-up. Hence the amount of Black Boxers looking to box themselves out of poverty. This is part of the reason that there are more and more Eastern European boxers reaching higher standards now. They want the money and they are prepared to fight hard for it. I hope that this contributes something constructive. I know 'where you are coming from' with regards to what's been said on this Forum, but it's alot more complicated than you think.
certainly did, slightly of topic but how does blood type have a bearing on your body type, providing the physiology of it isn't ridiculously difficult?
Type O Blood is the original Paleolithic (Stone Age Man) Blood Group, that's why there is still such a high level of Blood Type O in the White and Black populations (Less in Orientals etc). All human beings were once O blood group. O equals Old. I don't have the space to go into it in too much detail here, but essentially Blood type O is geared towards a hunter-gatherer lifestyle and diet (Hence why we get so fat when we eat Cream Buns, Bread and fried Chips...). Blood type O has certain fundamental differences in the way it can digest food, use energy, burn or store Bodyfat etc etc. O blood group can supply all other Blood Groups with Blood, but the others (B, A, AB) can't supply any to O. Blood Group O has no Platelets in it see, because it was the first development. If you look at any still existing groups of Hunter-Gatherer groups, that are still living that life, you'll notice that because they live a certain way and only eat certain foods etc, they are generally very muscular and honed (With notable exceptions where it doesn't pay too be that way and an environmental adaptation has occurred Ie Inuits (Eskimos)). Anyway, this is going a little off topic. Fascinating though, if you're in to that sort of thing. Thanks for listening.
That is fascinating--I never knew Orientals were the mutant next step in human evolution Odd that I'm a skinny, hard-gainer ectomorph type though, with o+ blood. Maybe I should have my type re-tested. At least it gives me a good excuse to eat steak & steamed veggies, yum!
Unfortunately Khafra, It's not as simple as just being O Blood group on its own. Otherwise we'd all look like Arnold Swartzenegger (Bad Spelling?) If your family are skinny, then you'll probably be skinny too and find it hard to build a large musculature. Blood Group evolution goes like this, as you no doubt know: O, A, B, AB and to an extant does represent a form of evolution, hence why only approx. 10 percent or less of Humans are AB Blood Group, as they are the latest step, them and Michael Jackson. I sympathise with your hard gainer ectomorphism though and I'm really glad that someone even knows what that is. Most people think that it is planet near Jupiter... More steak, less Snickers
Schwarzenegger, I believe--I wonder if Reagan was type O, maybe it has something to do with being an actor and politican as well as bodybuilder. Kinda funny that the more evolved blood types store more bodyfat, though--I guess plentiful food hasn't been around long enough to factor into deciding genetically favorable traits. I'm pretty familiar with the basic metabolic effects of fat, carbohydrates, and protein, but not with how they differ on the various blood types. Got any resources to offer?
