I am not a huge history buff, but I did pay enough attention in class to realize that when a group of people — or in this case, a nation — are given freedom for the first time, they do everything they can do to capitalize on it. This also is true in boxing. Dating back to the early 1700's, the poor citizens of the British Isles were the first to take up the sport in order to make more money and provide for their families. Then as the nation America was getting its baby teeth, they too took up the sport that the British brought with them. 

It goes on and on, all the way to the present. When the former Soviet Union fell, it presented a chance for its millions of citizens to chase their dreams. It isn't a big secret that that area has produced other great athletes. After all, the USSR National Hockey team ruled the sport for nearly 40 years. "Do you believe in miracles?" Well, so do those people.

It was only a matter of time before boxers from this part of the world made their impact on the sport of boxing. To get an idea of how bad some of them had it, take a look at Maskaev. He left the family farm in Kazakhstan to join the Russian Army. Maskaev preferred going into the Army as opposed to the hard work he was doing on the farm. Much like he did on Saturday night, Maskaev excelled and became a lieutenant in just six years.

Now a lot of USA fans are making their little lists of which fighters they think will "save" the heavyweight division in America. Yes, some of the lists are filled with talented guys who could win a title in the future, but the truth is that the former USSR countries, and the rest of Europe, are going to continue to roll out champions.

It is my guess that over the next decade or so the heavyweight top 10 is going to be filled with at least three or four of the names coming out of these places. The impact of rising stars with names like Alexander Dimitrenko, Ruslan Chagaev, Oleg Platov, Sultan Ibragimov Sebastian Kober and, perhaps the best of the bunch, Alexander Povetkin, will be felt for a long time. If you are seeing these names for the first time, and scoffing at me for using them as the future of the heavyweight division, please consider this: A lot of people are afraid of what they don’t know. No, it isn't your job to go out and learn about these guys, but if you want an unbiased opinion, do your research on these guys, and a whole slew of others, and you will see that all I am trying to do is be honest and asking the readers to be honest with themselves before laughing off this list.

While I'm at it, the heavyweight division isn’t the only division the former USSR and the other Europeans are making their mark in. Jermain Taylor, the middleweight champion of the world, may not even be the best fighter in the division. Arthur Abraham may lay claim to that title. Many Americans have yet to see him fight, but he has beaten solid competition during the last two years and appears to match up fairly evenly with the champion Taylor. This isn't to take anything away from the supremely talented Taylor, just to say there are great fighters out there that have yet to be seen on American televisions. 

Other fighters coming up in the various divisions: Super Middleweight: Dennis Inkin, born in Russia. Cruiserweight: Vadim Tokarv and Grigory Drozd both born in Russian. Light Middleweight: Sergiy Dzinziruk from Ukraine, you could go on and on. These names aren’t easy to say, but it is a pretty easy bet that they will be around for a long time.

Before I get hundreds of angry e-mails, I want to also say that I realize that there are some solid US prospects coming up. Taking a look at the heavyweight division there are Chazz Witherspoon, JD Chapman, and Eddie Chambers climbing into contention. And, there is also Calvin Brock, a fighter a lot of Americans are hoping to be the "savior."

In case of confusion, I am not anti-American. I am merely trying to show that the former Soviet Union countries and the rest of Europe aren't just a blip on the radar screen. They are a part of a explosion whose effects will be felt for a while. 

One final thought: American boxing fans have to realize boxing is a world sport. When you win a major championship, in any division, you are now introduced as the "world" champion. It appears boxing revolves around America, but it is now, more than ever before in history, that boxing is becoming more of a world sport than ever. As fans of boxing we should welcome this invasion as much as we enjoyed "The British Invasion," which brought with it the Beatles.

Or, as folk singer Bob Dylan said, "The times they are a-changing." Or, have they already changed?