How big would they be today?

166 then.

 

From 50's onwards (PED era of boxing), fighters would be one weight class bigger today than before (factoring in same day weigh ins).

 

PED's didn't really affect boxing until the very late 80s/90s

 

I very much disagree there. I believe it was evident very early.

 

What makes you say that?

 

See its fun to speculate isn't it

 

"Marciano. I don't recall him having endured any debilitating childhood illnesses."

I have read he almost died of pneumonia as a baby. In later years that would have been knocked out by antibiotics. Truthfully, no one knows much about his health problems as a youth (or that of any other old champion). Even something like tooth infections or tonsils can effect growth.

"average height of the US male is now down trending"

Due to immigration from Latin America and Asia.

One can't get away from the explosion of size not only in heavyweight boxing, but in other sports. There used to be 230 to 240 lb. linemen in the NFL. That is becoming smallish for quarterbacks now.

My take is the fairest way to look at it is where did the past champion fit into the heavyweight division of his era. And where would a similar position put him today. So I compared their weights to the weight in which the heavyweight division began in their eras (175) to where it begins today (200) and with my trusty calculator came up with--

Marciano--about 215 lbs.
Dempsey--about 220 lbs.
Young Louis--226-230 lbs.
Old Louis--244 lbs. (for Walcott fight)
Young Jeffries--about 250 lbs.
Old Jeffries--260 lbs. (for Johnson fight)

Of course, I realize this is all guesswork, but then again, the whole across time comparisons is guesswork at best.

 

Foreman 230? lol Foreman weighed 232 against dino denis in 1976 without touching a weight in his life and without being fat... so he would not have to change anything , at 18 in the amateurs weighed 229... Frazier DID WEIGH 209 1/2 against bob Foster in his prime and looked great, so tell mw where is the change here? Marciano was perfect at 185, he would be a beach ball at 200 worse with bad stamina

 

he could fly too, don't forget it

 

i agree except for liston, he was wide but looked inflated at 218, he had a rare build, small head, very long arms, a little thin legs, wide shoulders,no way he is carrying 230-240 without being crap, i agree with the holmes part. Foreman and jefries are the 2 guys here fighting at 240 without problems, Ali was a big man no question about but for his style he should fight at 220-225 maximum

 

Doesn't it feel off imagining these fighters as being bigger?

I feel like a 235lb Joe Louis is not Joe Louis any more.
How do we know his style can scale with size like that?

Joshua likes to bob and weave like Tyson in training. But with his body shape, he simply can't do it with the finesse and smoothness of Tyson. And if Tyson was Joshua size, I don't think he'd be able to either.

 

That's because it's easy to get narrow minded in these things.

If we are to imagine Lomachenko moving up to LW we would allow him add weight.

Rocky and Joshua have fought in the same division by name only. Here's a quick analysis of the top 5 average weight (not tactical btw, I just cannot be arsed doing more)

1952
Rocky: 189
Layne: 200
Charles: 191
Henry: 195

2016
Wlad: 245
Povetkin: 227
Ortiz: 239
Wilder: 226
Joshua: 243

So whilst this division isn't as big as is sometimes made out. It is considerably bigger than Rocky's was.

The only two men above 240 are an unproven prospect and an over the hill legend. Would rocky be advised to give away 40 pounds to these men? , or would he be better advised to add a stone of weight and reduce the deficit?

It makes sense to bulk them and discuss how they'd do.

 

No I get that. It's just weird when you try to imagine an over sized Louis, because perhaps his new body wouldn't carry his style the same.

Again with the Joshua example, you can't bob and weave like Tyson as a 7 footer. So how are we supposed to imagine a bigger Marciano, Louis, or Ali?

There's no way Ali is dancing like Ali with a 6'7 height.
So I can't imagine how fantasy versions of Louis and Dempsey would do in todays HW division, because the fighters themselves are no longer the same.

 

exactly

 

I think liston would benefit a lot from some work in the weight room, he had a huge frame, very wide shoulders, huge wrists, just a big frame to put on some meat on it.. just imagine how hard would be his telephone pole jab after he builds his overhead press to 200+ lbs.
Foreman obviously would be huge with some weight lifting and ridicioulosy strong.
I see ali carrying 230 rock solid lbs and still being fast as lightning