This content is protected He was 18 years old at the time. Fourteen years later when he stopped Foreman, he was 216 pounds. He won a UD over a Tunney Hunsecker. His 1st ever victory as a pro.
He was a LHW (178) in the olympics in summer 1960 in his first fight october 1960 according to boxrec he was 192 1 year later in october 1961 he was 188 against alex miteff. 1 year later in november 1962 he was 204lbs against archie moore.
It shocking that a professional athlete might actually gain weight from the time he's a high school senior to his 22nd birthday. I've never heard of someone who is still growing actually GAINING weight. It's unheard of I tell you. After all, doesn't every guy weigh exactly the same when he graduates from college as he did when he was a senior in high school?
In case you didn't notice, there wasn't a 178 pound weight division in the pros in 1960. There was 175, and Unlimited/Heavyweight above that. So, instead of trying to lose three pounds on already thin frame, Ali decided to eat normally and weigh what he came in at. Seems like a smart move, since he was still a teenager and all.
Sure. But then why would he lose 4 pounds in his first year as a pro? And then gain 16 pounds of muscle the 2nd year? Sounds like he was either done growing or they were still trying to squeeze him down to LHW for whatever reason and then just decided to have him bulk up.
He didn't lose anything. The video posted at the top says 182 for his debut, NOT 192. 178 as an amateur. 182 for his debut at the age most are still in high school. He didn't have to make weight anymore. So he ate. He got heavier as he matured into an adult. He filled out like a normal human being. He was rail thin as an amateur. He didn't add tons of muscle. His body fat percentage certainly went up from the time he was a skeleton as an amateur. Everyone doesn't remain the stick figure they may be in high school. Everybody is a PED user to you. Just a word of advice. If you have an eight year old kid some day and he weighs more when he's 12 than he did at 8, he isn't a PED user. He's just growing up. Same for an 18 year old who matures into a 20-something-year-old man. Also, don't assume people are taking PEDs based off Boxrec stats. They weren't using digital scales. Heavyweight weights are essentially meaningless, so I doubt much care was taken to make sure every weigh-in in his career was performed with precise measurements down to the proper ounce. And people on boxrec make mistakes when adding information all the time. The newspaper article describing the fight on Boxrec lists Clay's weight as 186, not 182 or 192.
A lot of people aren't done growing until well into their 20s. Wrists and ankles get thicker. Hips get wider. Shoulders get wider. Metabolism slows down a ton which allows for the ability to put on muscle/weight in general much easier.
I didnt say anything about PEDs. smartass. Of course people gain weight when they get older. But thanks for the essay