Posted on 01/27/2006 7:13:21 AM PST by Callahan
MOSCOW — In any boxing club, sweat is part of the ambience, but in Russia, the sweat factor usually scores a one-two punch to the nose right from the doorway, reminding all who enter of what it smells like to be a nastoyashi muzhik, a real Russian man.
On the wall of a small neighborhood boxing club in northwest Moscow, there is a huge, grainy photo of Stanislav Stepashkin, the 1964 Olympic featherweight champion who was one of Russia's early claims to international boxing fame, and a real Russian man if there ever was one.
Stepashkin agreed two years ago to serve as president of the club, and the neighborhood boys here renamed it in his honor.
These days, another photo hangs on the dank walls next to Stepashkin's, and while the picture isn't bigger, the man assuredly is: Nikolay Valuev, crowned in December as Russia's first World Boxing Assn. heavyweight champion.
Valuev himself strode into the gym recently during his triumphant return to Russia after the title bout, in which he defeated American John Ruiz on a controversial decision in Berlin to become the tallest (7 feet) and heaviest (323 pounds) world champion in history. He's so big he usually steps into the ring over the top rope … so big that the adolescent pugilists at the Stepashkin Club would have barely been able to land a hook as high as his belly, if they had the nerve to try.
Most just craned their necks and gawked, or melted into nervous grins
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
Size is not an automatic advantage in the boxing ring. I remember when Too Tall Jones turned boxer with his sights on the heavyweight championship after he retired from football.
Too Tall won all six of his fights (against tomato cans), but he didn't have the skills to fight the top ranked fighters.
And we can't forget Butterbean!
he looks like # 4 or 5 from the ascent of man series
Wow, Darwin gets his missing link.....
I resemble that remark!
Yea, the missing link.
Maybe we need a new category ... Heavy Heavyweight.
Eric "butterbean" Esch, King of the 4 Rounders!!!!!
Ouch!
"Sloping armor".
Too many coffes and bran muffins..
Which, of course, reminds me of Arthur "Two Sheds" Jackson.
That was a good morning laugh line. Thank you.
What ever happened to BB?
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2006/Jan/21/sp/FP601210351.html
Eric "Butterbean" Esch defeated Hilo's Wesley "Cabbage" Correira in the main event of the Rumble On The Rock 8 mixed martial arts card last night.
Correira broke his right arm during the fight, and the bout was stopped after two rounds based on the advice of the ringside doctors. It was scheduled for three five-minute rounds.
A crowd of about 6,500 at the Blaisdell Center Arena watched the eight-bout card.
The heavyweights exchanged numerous blows throughout the first two rounds, although neither gained a significant advantage.
Esch weighed 394 pounds, 133 more than the 261-pound Correira. Esch improved his mixed martial arts record to 2-1-1. He also has a boxing record of 71-7-4. Correira dropped to 17-9.
Continued at above link.
Wow! Thanks
Speaking of the NFL, it's a wonder some NFL scouts aren't drooling over this guy, even just for the publicity.
holy smokes
Look at all that hair! I think we have solved it-- the Russians shaved a bear and put gloves on him!
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