“I am SO sick of hearing about BJJ supermen that can somehow take down even the best heavyweight boxers in the world in their prime. It doesn’t get dumber than that.”
No truer words have ever been spoken. Along with the still-prevalent “Bruce Lee would kill Tyson!” I’ve been laughing at the “any reasonably skilled bjj blue belt would take Tyson to the ground and submit him but quick!” dogshit for years.
I would add two not mentioned.
Harry Greb. Because not only was he one of the greatest boxers ever, he was probably the dirtiest. You knew if you were getting in the ring there was a good chance you’d be going to the hospital afterwards. Low blows, fouls, rubbing laces against opponents eyes, thumbing. Gene Tunney was so hurt in his run-in with Greb that he lost two quarts of blood and spent weeks in the hospital afterwards.
Joe Louis. “Killer instict” was coined to describe Dempsey in his prime, but Louis had it just as intensely. His training partners were creeped out by his blank, emotionless eyes. Nobody wanted to fight him. Wasn’t it Max Baer (a former champion himself) who was so nervous, shaking uncontrollably, before his fight with Louis that he tried to put on his socks OVER his shoes?
[quote]PGA wrote:
trailrash wrote:
And obviously you didn’t read what I wrote. How the hell would you know that Karelin or Fedor would intimidate someone besides yourself? Just because they are big, scary and intimidating to you does not mean they will be to someone else. You only assume this because of your ideas about them but you really have no clue how anyone else would react to them and to say you do know this is just a stupid statement.
Well I’m not really intimidated by anyone regardless of how big they are, how powerful they are, how much money they have (especially this one), or the likes. I may admire certain aspects that someone has but I sure as hell am not intimidated by anyone.[/quote]
Good post and point. But Mr. adubswils seems to think to think that Fedor or Karelin would intimidate ANYONE they come into contact with.
[quote]Jack_Dempsey wrote:
“I am SO sick of hearing about BJJ supermen that can somehow take down even the best heavyweight boxers in the world in their prime. It doesn’t get dumber than that.”
No truer words have ever been spoken. Along with the still-prevalent “Bruce Lee would kill Tyson!” I’ve been laughing at the “any reasonably skilled bjj blue belt would take Tyson to the ground and submit him but quick!” dogshit for years.
I would add two not mentioned.
Harry Greb. Because not only was he one of the greatest boxers ever, he was probably the dirtiest. You knew if you were getting in the ring there was a good chance you’d be going to the hospital afterwards. Low blows, fouls, rubbing laces against opponents eyes, thumbing. Gene Tunney was so hurt in his run-in with Greb that he lost two quarts of blood and spent weeks in the hospital afterwards.
Joe Louis. “Killer instict” was coined to describe Dempsey in his prime, but Louis had it just as intensely. His training partners were creeped out by his blank, emotionless eyes. Nobody wanted to fight him. Wasn’t it Max Baer (a former champion himself) who was so nervous, shaking uncontrollably, before his fight with Louis that he tried to put on his socks OVER his shoes?[/quote]
Good post. Greb was a real hard son-of-a-bitch, that’s for sure. Louis was amazing. Probably the best puncher ever.
[quote]gadget wrote:
Two things I would like to add to this pissing contest:
2: Tiger Woods is intimidating. He carries and entire bag of golf clubs FFS. Do you have any idea how hard he can hit a guy with a 3 iron?
[/quote]
Moreover he could hit you with that three iron from 250 yards…
Tiger is intimidating in the sense that the best players in the world are playing for second when he’s in the final group on Sunday. No one challenges him, why?
[quote]Serly wrote:
gadget wrote:
Two things I would like to add to this pissing contest:
2: Tiger Woods is intimidating. He carries and entire bag of golf clubs FFS. Do you have any idea how hard he can hit a guy with a 3 iron?
Moreover he could hit you with that three iron from 250 yards…
Tiger is intimidating in the sense that the best players in the world are playing for second when he’s in the final group on Sunday. No one challenges him, why?
[/quote]
Golfers call it the “yips”… That nervous tension that runs up the back of your neck and freezes your jaw.
For conversation’s sake, though, I just beat tiger by three strokes mano e mano on TW '07, he aint got shit on me baby…
Veterans Day should be spent this way, if you’re a veteran…
How the fuck can anyone lump golf in with poker and chess?
Golf is a physical activity, an athletic endeavour - these guys are generating a hell of a lot of power and club speed and spanking that ball well over 300yds and doing it over and over again. Anyone who thinks that does not require a significant degree of athleticism is being extremely closed minded.
I’m not claiming that Tiger is the most intimidating athlete in the world, although to a golfer he probably is, but to say he isn’t an athlete at all is just plain wrong.
Another thing - at what point did this become “Athlete I would be most scared of in the street?”
Given that the original title of the thread is “Most Intimidating Athlete” - this is open to interpretation and a discussion about who is most intimidating within their athletic field is perfectly valid, perhaps the most valid interpretation.
A thought - is Karelin, or Foreman, or Tyson intimidating to a man with a machine gun? No.
It’s all about context, and it seems to me that the most valid context for comparison is that of how intimidating an athlete is to his peers (i.e. within his own sport).
As far as other intimidating guys, I’d have to say Dick Butkus, Lawrence Taylor, Ray Neitzke, Jack Lambert, and nowadays Ray Lewis and Shawne Merriman. Something about crazed linebackers always makes me consider them intimidating…
but it’s not just football that makes the intimidating athlete.
Tiger Woods
Dale Earnhardt Sr.
Shaq
Dwayne Wade
Michael Jordan
Karl Malone (Jazz Days)
B.
[/quote]
From a purely physical standpoint, I’d agree with the list of Hall of Fame and current All-Pro linebackers (add A.J. Hawk in a year or 2, Go Packers :)). They can catch almost anyone and beat the shit out of most which make for a badass combination.
Also agree on the people mentioned from the in your head side.
1987 Canada Cup
Wayne Gretzky
Games: 9
Goals: 3
Assist: 8
Points: 21
Mario Lemieux
Games: 9
Goals: 11
Assist: 7
Points: 18
I would not want to get “hit” checked by Scott Stevens
[/quote]
I played competitive hockey for 13 years, it is not intimidating to go against a really good player, it is more frustrating. It is intimidating to go against a scott stevens type that just wrecks everyone.
To play along – Gordie Howe. Even when he played with his sons in the WHA in his 50’s opponents paid the price for touching the Howe boys.
I dont understand the discussion comparing Tyson and Pride fighters etc. Im sure these guys respect each other, but if you step into a ring with anyone and actually feel intimidated you have no right to be there. I dont think anyone in this thread who makes the argument about the intimidation factor of athletes really understand athletics.
[quote]Scotacus wrote:
To play along – Gordie Howe. Even when he played with his sons in the WHA in his 50’s opponents paid the price for touching the Howe boys.
I dont understand the discussion comparing Tyson and Pride fighters etc. Im sure these guys respect each other, but if you step into a ring with anyone and actually feel intimidated you have no right to be there. I dont think anyone in this thread who makes the argument about the intimidation factor of athletes really understand athletics.[/quote]
Shit, do you? You don’t think Muhammad Ali intimidated those who fought against him? You would have to be pretty foolish to think so. In fact, his mouth was probably his greatest weapon. Intimidation is a PART of sports. Get on a football field and let me know if those linemen don’t use some of the same tactics. Like weighing 300lbs isn’t an intimidation factor in a situation like that? Get serious.
The only thing about sports…is that you have to overcome that intimidation and play in spite of it. That is, if you ever plan on taking the place of the champion.
[quote]Professor X wrote:
The only thing about sports…is that you have to overcome that intimidation and play in spite of it. That is, if you ever plan on taking the place of the champion.
[/quote]
Truth. To use paraphrase the loser you quoted: “I dont think anyone in this thread who makes the argument that the intimidation factor DOES NOT EXIST really understands athletics.”
[quote]Scotacus wrote:[…]
I dont understand the discussion comparing Tyson and Pride fighters etc. Im sure these guys respect each other, but if you step into a ring with anyone and actually feel intimidated you have no right to be there. I dont think anyone in this thread who makes the argument about the intimidation factor of athletes really understand athletics.[/quote]
A fight between two guys is a mental competition. To say that an athlete shouldn’t be scared tells me that you’ve probably never been in a serious fight.
To give you an example: You might have seen the last fight between Fedor and Coleman. From their nonverbal communication you could clearly see how scared Coleman was of the Russian Cyborg. The prank he pulled after the fight (hitting Fedor playfully as a friendly gesture and to kinda kid around that he finally was able to “beat” him) was even more revealing.
Mark Coleman simply wanted to humanize his feared opponent. You’re right that a real Champion can free himself of that (for example, Fedor was calm as a clock).
But even Tyson -in his prime, one of the greatest heavies ever imho- was sometimes anxious and fearful like a child before big fights.
I still think Brad Pitt in Fight Club would kick Mike Tyson’s ass anyday. Or Tiger or any other athlete mentioned in this thread. And he would do it in the most intimidating way possible.