heavyweight size

Comparing Lyle with Rahman,....yeah, Rahman may have been a tad stronger, but he wasn't as tough, or as good a hitter as Lyle. The Foreman that Lyle fought would have destroyed Rahnam....he would have gotten to that Oleg Maskaev dented chin of Hasim in a big way.

 

Heavyweights did not relay start bulking up in a systematic way until the 80s.

In practice the difference between Ali and Holmes on one hand, and Lewis and Bowe on the other, might not be that great.

 

Holyfield was 205 to 210 at his best and did make cruiserweight at his peak. And he food just fine. David Haye is pretty much literally the exact same size as Ali and he was a number one contender. I think they'd do fine.

 

There's also the matter of the old timers fighting 15 rounds.

 

I can't comment on who's better but I will say I believe once heavyweight boxers reached a certain size, their fights became less entertaining. The pace of heavyweight fights seems slower & there's far less give & take. The lighter boxers could take a punch & return one quickly. Now, a 250 lb man hits you, you're probably going to move away or tie up. There also doesn't seem to be much variety in styles today.

The boxers today may beat all the heavyweights of the 70's & 80's but they're not much fun to watch. I'm not just talking about Klitchko either. I saw some heavyweights on ESPN last week & everything was one punch & grab. They were gassed by the 3rd.

 

I remember Holmes fighting Roy Williams who was 6'5" 235-240 lbs and did just fine. Ali had no real problems with Joe Bugner who was taller and heavier than him or Foreman either who was also taller and heavier and hit like a wrecking ball. I think too much is made of size and weight nowadays. Sure size can be an advantage but it isn't always. There are other factors to consider.

 

Heavyweights suck. Watch welters and middles.

 

There are all kinds of issues to factor such as reach, body type and style .. Ali and Haye may be stye same height and weight but Ali was a natural 216 while Haye is far from it .. look at how much thinner his legs are .. if Ali used PEDs he have been a ripped 230 .. as far as who excels it depends on speed and style .. I just don't think small guys over power big guys without speed .

 

Heavyweights should be allowed to go up to 220, maybe 225 max..

225 and up should be the super heavyweight division..

Its just stupid and up unfair to watch a little 210 guy go up against a huge 250 lb guy that obviously has a huge advantage...

Heavyweights do suck, I haven't really paid attention to the division since 2005, and I'll be elated when those Frankenstein robots are done with boxing, one down, and the other one is 39 so hopefully his days are numbered, the older he gets the more likely someone will knock his block off...

 

Size & strength can make a significant difference.
But it slows some down, & at a point it is diminishing returns at best

Lifting & cheating with PEDs (Holyfield) may help...
But there are tons of guys who are bulked up but may have more hypertrophy than great strength.

Lyle was 220. Here is the Foreman fight, says it early, & Foreman described as "lithe" at 226. [url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8AVcEyyMco[/url]

So he was not that much smaller than even those vulked up guys, & he was heavily muscled. no way does he get "rag dolled".

Louis a small CW, huh? He was a bit under 200 in his earlier fights, I would say his experiential & physical peak at 207 in '42. Just about the same weight, height & reach as Holyfield in his pre-PED (or much of them) in the early '90's

Ali in his peak fights before exile was very lean at 211 1/2-214.
He COULD make CW, but by them he would need to lose some musle or be dehydrated, at least at his real fight time weight/

So size may well be one advantage. But not always, some sacrifice speed & mobility...
Some say Lewis was better when ~ 15-20 lbs. lighter earlier in the '90's.

Not sure, but you could argue so...

 

Rahman and Bowe looked a bit fat to me, even at 235.

I don't see how they are bigger than Lyle. Same size, just carrying a little fat on top.