Small HW champs that would do well today?

It seems like every up and comer or young fighter in the top ten is 6'4" or taller these days, and most can hit. Some fans just don't get it but if they were ever in the ring vs a much bigger and at least equally skilled opponent, they would.

Fury with his mobility and height doesn't need to be impressive. Yes--I think he has a suspect chin ( But great heart ), but the thing is you need to be impressive by coming to him.

Wlad better win the re-match...

 

I think this sums up the reality of it all perfectly.

 

Jack Dempsey would be perfect.

 

Yes and No. Jones did it vs. John Ruiz. Maybe the 5th best heavyweight in the 2000's -2010, and I'm being kind to Ruiz by calling him the 5th best.

 

Great fighters are great fighters.

In the HW division fighters are whatever "optimum weight" they need to be, more so now than ever before. Throw a great fighter from the past into today's scene, he's still a great fighter.

 

I can second that. Even though I've never boxed in an official sense, I take lessons at a self defense studio which has a boxing program and I spar with people regularly. it makes a huge difference when you're up against someone who both outweighs and out reaches you PLUS knows what they're doing. And to try and outmaneuver them in a small space is very hard, let alone trying to bang with them on their own terms. The other thing about boxing with someone who has a vast physical advantage over you is that EVERYTHING they do to you hurts that much more.. Weather its landing a good punch to the head or body. Blocking one of their shots to your arms.. Being tied up in a clinch with them or even having one of your own shots blocked... Not to sound like a condescending ass because I'm clearly no expert, but its not hard to tell which people around here have had boxing gloves on in their lives and which ones haven't.

 

^^^ One of your best posts. The smaller guy, if he's a quick counter puncher, has a split second advantage IF the larger guys missed AND he's willing to commit to his own power shot.

I have been saying modern large & skilled heavyweights have something like a 2 weight class advantage over those just north of 200 pounds. It's like matching a small middle vs a large light heavyweight.

It can happen. Ray Leonard vs Donny Lalonde would be an example, but Leonard was an all time great, and Lalonde, just an okay alphabet light heavyweight champion.

 

I know what you mean re size.
I've always respected fighters who've gone up a division or two even and competed, well, Luis Manuel Rodriguez for example.
I was only a mediocre amateur but at my own weight I was comfortable (138lb-148lb) because at a shade over 5ft-10 I could usually outjab my opponents.
The times when I gave weight away I struggled. I could feel they were stronger in the clinches and without the reach advantage I was usually pushed back
One of my old coaches used to say there's no substitute for experience but I'd go with size.
I could see Ezzard Charles fighting today and cleaning out the light heavy division.I don't think he's try the bog boys.

 

And Lalonde had to drop weight for that fight providing his own disadvantage yet he still had Leonard in trouble in that fight. You have to be exceptionally good and better prepared in order to beat a bigger athlete who also has good skills.

 

Thanks Magoo.

 

I practice MMA (no, not mixed martial arts but medieval martial arts) and pushing up against big guys is physically brutal. One guy is 6'6" and 225 and another is 6'10" and at least 260 and me at 5'9" and 160 dies every time I have to push against these monsters.
And they're not actually hitting me. I'd be dead if they did.

 

LOL. you and I are almost the exact same size. And yes you've lived it so you know what its like. Medieval martial arts eh? I'll have to look that up. Sounds interesting.

 

Boxing is also about levels and career timing.

Two guys equal in every department but size then size would obviously tell. That is very important.

Jess Willard was not in Jack Dempsey class, therefore he lost.

Monzon beat Napoles. Bowe beat Holyfeild and so on. Michael Spinks beat Larry Holmes and Haye beat Valuev.

Sometimes experience can overcome size. Sometimes size overcomes pace and sometimes pace can overcome power.

But there are more reasons than this why we won't see 200 pounders coming back. They dont need to be 200lb. Cruiserweights dont need to be 190lb either. They also can be more too. So much has changed. Functional, artificial weight itself can be successfully used as a game plan.

crucially, what has really changed is all the things that suited lighter, faster fighters have been eradicated from the sport. Small gloves, and extra rounds have all been taken away and weight training and dieticians have been introduced.

This means nobody wants to or needs to be as light as before. Too much has changed.

Cruiserweight may as well be rebranded as heavyweight because even Cruisers can weigh as much as Gerry C00ney on the night.

 

one thing I like about the 70s and how well defined the divisions were, was
The great welter, Jose Napoles moves up to middle and Monzon toys with him.
Monzon wanted no part of the Light Heavy king, Bob Foster.
When the massive punching Foster moves up to the big boys, Joe Frazier cleans him out.

 

Career timing was also at play when Napoles fought Monzon. Foster was already a failed heavyweight before he ever won the Light heavyweight title, so with hindsight, having never beat a rated heavyweight Foster never had a chance versus a world heavyweight champion when he never could beat a heavyweight contender.

Foster himself beat a middleweight who could beat lightheavyweights to become lightheavy champ so it's not like smaller guys were not beating bigger guys then.