Rafael Nadal vs. Roger Federer – In The Boxing Ring!

Rafael Nadal vs. Roger Federer - In The Boxing Ring!  | read this item

Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal on a tennis court is always captivating theater, so competitive that after 21 meetings it’s still unclear who really is the superior all-around player. Though Nadal leads the head-to-head 14-7, Federer is far ahead in total grand slam victories (16-7). So just out of curiosity, what would happen if these two supreme gladiators put on the boxing gloves and battled it out for 12 rounds in the squared circle at Madison Square Garden for a prize of $10,000,000, in an ATP Heavyweight Championship fight promoted by Don King? We asked several tennis insiders for their opinion of such a match…

“In this corner, weighing in at 188 pounds, the reigning French Open champ, #1 in the world from Manacor, Mallorca, Spain…RAFAEL NADAL!. And weighing in at 187 pounds, the defending Wimbledon champion, #2 ranked challenger, from Basel, Switzerland, ROGER FEDERER!”

Bud Collins: “Well I think Nadal would be too big of a left hooker with those muscles. Yeah, I think it would be Nadal. (By TKO?) No, he’d knock him out.”

Tommy Robredo: “Federer. For the age. He’s five years older. When you have five more years than the other one you have a little more power, no?”

Olivier Rochus: “Nadal. He has more fighting spirit and I think physically he’s stronger than Federer.”

Jarkko Nieminen: “I don’t know. They’re both strong guys. It’s tough to say. Who has better techniques. And Nadal seems to have bigger muscles but Federer has great technique in tennis. So maybe he would have the same in boxing too. So then it’s over toughness.”

Fernando Vicente: “Nadal, no? Nadal. Too powerful.”

Justin Gimelstob: “I would say I think Nadal’s one of the strongest guys on the Tour. But boxing I think has a lot more to do with than just strength. But Nadal would be rough. I don’t think a lot of guys would want to have to deal with him.”

Mike Agassi: “Nadal is the physically stronger man. You can see the muscle.”

Vince Spadea: “Well I’d say Federer. Federer probably has more punching power and he can still move. He can stick and move.”

Ivan Ljubicic: “Oh, definitely Nadal. He’s stronger physically.”

Carlos Moya: “Boxing…oh I guess Rafael looks stronger than Feddy but…probably the one who has been fighting more would win. I know Rafael never fought in his life [smiles] but I don’t know about Federer, what he did when he was younger.”

Fabrice Santoro: “The easy selection would be to say Nadal. Because he has a lot of punch and a lot of energy. But Roger is a smart athlete, a smart guy, so he would have a chance too.”

Robby Ginepri: “I’ve never seen them without racquets in their hand against each other. I think Nadal would have a little bit more of an advantage, he’s more cut up than Federer. I don’t know. It’d be a fun match to see though.”

Tim Henman: “I think Nadal would win. (TKO?) I think so, yeah. Great question [smiles].”

Brad Gilbert: “Nadal. He’s a little bit stronger. Federer would have to keep his distance. He’d have to stick and move. I think Nadal would have to get in on the inside. He’d be more of a brawler. I don’t know. But I’d pay $50 to see it [smiles].”

Georg Bastl: “I think Nadal. He would have more punch.”

Greg Rusedski: “I think it’s pretty one-sided. I think Nadal would win the boxing match. Federer would be doing the running this time instead of vice versa [smiles].”

Tomas Berdych: “Boxing match…ah, Nadal. I think maybe he’s stronger and maybe for boxing it’s more important.”

Lleyton Hewitt: “I don’t know mate. Good question [smiles].”

Donald Young: “I don’t know. It’s hard to decide. Depends on the surface [smiles].”

Jonas Bjorkman: “They’re different. They can’t be in the same weight class. 10 or 15 kilos difference, so you can’t compare a boxing match like that. It’s like having Tyson and one of those light heavyweights. (But what if Federer moved up in weight and he challenged him in the ring?) Then he’d win. On class [smiles].”

Andy Murray: “Nadal. He’s just stronger and maybe physically just a bit better than him. But I think Dimitri Tursunov would beat Nadal [smiles]. (Tursunov is standing near us.)”

Michael Llodra: “Federer. He’s more crazy than Nadal. (Oh he is?) Yeah. I know him now since long time, in juniors. Now he’s a little bit cool. But I see he can be more crazy than Nadal. It’s not about only the muscle. He has a small muscle and he is more crazy than everybody. And you have to be crazy when you want to fight. (Can you share an example of the craziness of Federer?) No, no, no. I say he’s crazy. That’s all I say [smiles]!”

Let’s get ready to Rum-Bull!!!

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Topics: 12 Rounds, Basel Switzerland, Boxing Gloves, Boxing Ring, Bud Collins, Fernando Vicente, Fighting Spirit, French Open Champ, Grand Slam Victories, Heavyweight Championship Fight, Jarkko Nieminen, Justin Gimelstob, Madison Square Garden, Manacor Mallorca Spain, Olivier Rochus, Roger Federer, Roger Federer Vs Rafael Nadal, Strong Guys, Stronger Man, Wimbledon Champion