one of the reasons the russian/eastern block countries have so much talent is they still have alot of the old soviet style state-run training facilities, lots of youth train boxing there. kinda similar to how the amatuer wrestling system is in america, with any decent sized high school having a wrestling program. the same can be said for cuba, as for a small country they are very dominant in amatuer competition, although less so in the pro ranks, although they still have a number of solid prospects/contenders. again, they have a very structured, state run boxing program.

we don't have that in the us, and like has been mentioned, many top athletes are drawn to other top sports. today, a huge % of people interested in combat sports choose mma, as it has without a doubt become the #1 combat sport in north america, and for good reason. its a much more exciting and dynamic sport imo, and the level of boxing/striking has greatly improved over the years thanks to the influx of young people. if boxing doesn't get its act together soon, its doomed to be nothing more than a sideshow, at least here in north america!