Why does size matter?

if you look at the army requirements rather than just poo poo them you would know that there is a generous allowance for each age group.

champions used to fall within them. ali, even foreman at 217 was bang on the maximum for his age and height when he won the title. just the odd carnera would be off the chart.

today its the odd SHW thats even "in" the chart!

same sport.

 

Like I said, you wouldn't want a bunch of Anthony Joshua's in the army because he wouldn't be half as good as a super lean lighter man.

 

Easy for a sniper to pick off too.

 

Exactly, be like aiming at a Rhino....

 

I would say Ali looked significant different enough in body mass against Fraizer ,he was also 217 against Foreman . Ali was practically the same size as Foreman give or take 3 pounds. That Ali wouldn't have to move around against Cooper .

 

Henry Cooper weighed in at only 185 pounds though, (and has claimed he was actually about 10 pounds lighter due to overtraining and cheated the scales.)
Let's say 185 pounds though.
Clay was 207 pounds.
Cooper was lighter and skinnier.

We can argue the point over whether a 212 or 217 pound Ali would have been decked by the same punch, but let's make Cooper 195 pounds then, or 198 pounds then, and make it pure extra muscle weight.
I suspect people would still deny that a 198 pound Cooper could knock down a 220 pound Ali, implying that Ali gains more in his chin resistance from body mass than Cooper can gain in punching power - and I find that unlikely.

I don't think it was Ali being just 207 that caused the knockdown. His chin was solid, he just didn't see the punch coming, and it was a perfect hook, Cooper's best punch.
As Ali grew more experienced he saw most of those hooks coming, even when he failed to avoid them. Frazier hammered Ali with left hooks because Ali was trying to lean back from that all the time. Cooper just nailed Ali as an open target who didn't expect that punch at all.

 

I think the US weight requirement is mostly a guideline anyway.

I doubt Wladimir being 5-10 pounds above the limit would be a big cause for concern since his bodyfat ratio is only 12% or so.
And his stamina is very good compared to any average man.

The weight requirement is mostly to get fatties out of the army and most heavy people tend to be fatties. (or bodybuilders, who you don't want either)


Actually if you don't meet the weight requirement they measure your bodyfat.

 

It doesnt matter at that point bc 210 /220 pounders is more in lines with real heavy weights . A 200 pound Cooper still wouldn't stagger a 215 Ali . A 200 pound Cooper would stagger 205 Ali . Ali did not get hit with the punchers he got hit with in the 70's , he took a better punch for two reasons ,bigger body and more confidence . Cooper kept just missing him with the hook so im sure thats what Ali was trying not to get hit with .

 

The idea that the US army requirements are the definitive last word on what's "healthy" is a strange one too.

 

obviously back in the bowls of time there was far too much hugging. thats why the quesbury rules outlawed it. ive seen those old ketchel fights yes there was a lot of holding still. jack johnson held a lot. but by the second world war the joe louis kind of era when gloves were still 6oz and small do you think there was more holding than now? would you say so?

 

its not that I think the US army is the last word, i just think its very intresting that before 1980 most heavyweight champions fell within this modern chart.

the greatest heavyweights of all time predominantly fell within this chart.

now they dont.

 

Heavyweights have gotten bigger, yes.