Abradolf Lincler wrote: ↑06 Feb 2019, 09:25
Jacopodb wrote: ↑03 Feb 2019, 08:37
I believe that, as much as Italian boxers, or boxers of Italian ancestry are proficient, Italy has had only like 35 world champions in history, less than Japan, for example, and Japanese boxing never looked that overhyped, to me.
The greatest Italian boxer in history, hands down, so far, has been Duilio Loi, and he's rarely called out in usual boxing conversations: he had class, style, and a remarkable record to say the least, but I hear more about remarkably less-great Benvenuti than about Loi, for some reason... perhaps Benvenuti was prettier?
As much as some might mistake Alí's witty sympathy for his actual technical boxing proficiency... the
Louisville Lip was no better than
The Brown Bomber Joe Louis, as I see it, despite formerly-Clay's flamboyant statements.
Talking about boxing world champions, I remember both Mexico carrying more than a hundred world champions in history... don't get me started on U. S....: over
400 world champions...
...to sum it up, the most proficient boxers have got African descent, as much as any other human being, including Italians, period.
Gotta agree here. Italy hasn't had many champions, and even fewer top level ones. If you merely include boxers with Italian heritage, that opens up the door for a whole lot of argument elsewhere.
The heritage argument makes no more than little sense: I picked Loi, because he was
born, raised and based in Italy: he, as well as Benvenuti and Mazzinghi (who lost much of his power after a serious car crash, where his wife died, and he reported severe head trauma), was a true product of Italian boxing: the others (Gatti, Mattioli, Antuofermo, Young Corbett III, and more) were born in Italy, but definitely raised elsewhere, since they were children when their families moved to U.S., Canada or Australia... they're
not a product of Italian boxing... so it's ludicrous to claim their own Italian ancestry as an argument to brag about being Italian (If you absolutely want to brag about something Italian, brag about architecture, pasta, Ferrari, or
haute couture-related issues, for example).
Even more ludicrous would be bragging about Italian ancestry, because you might find talented people of any ancestry, to become great at boxing, if grown up in the right environment: Irish, Hispanic/Latinos, Asian etc., and above all African: so-called "black" people, of central African ancestry, have muscular fibres strictly built for explosive power, and less for endurance (that's why they suck at swimming perhaps, or I don't know...): an American is an American period: a
full product of the American boxing industry.
Then, of course, due to
massive Italian immigration over U.S., many American boxers have Italian ancestry, as well as criminals, politicians and artists: that goes without saying: Lucky Luciano, Al Capone, Gotti... do you wanna tell me that Italian-Americans make more-ruthless gangsters than others? Not much more or less than Irish, Chinese, Russian, or Japanese mafias... Same goes with boxing.
If boxing is not well promoted in Italy, despite the fact that Italy doesn't lack talents, as any other country, but merely infrastructures, only Italians are responsible for that: it would be much better for Italians having less-talented boxers, but more proficient promoters: promoter Davide Buccioni tried to organise something, and he had some good intentions, but not much more than that.
I hope I've let you know something more about Italian boxing, if you have any questions, I might seek and answer.
