Big Guys Who Somehow Lack Physical Strength?

Tommy Hearns

 

he was a tall for weight class skinny guy.

 

Had a powerful looking
upper body, unlike other tall guys like Mark Breland and Milt McCrory.

 

Some of the strongest men who ever lived have tried combat sports, and had very limited success.

 

You'd think they'd do better in UFC or wrestling, where their strength can be utilized.

 

Correct

 

As you know full well, Punching power is more to do with speed, leverage, technique and timing than strength.

The required brute strength is a lot less than many would think.

 

Nah those are bodybuilder numbers. Often enhanced, sometimes greatly, by PEDs-not what they could achieve naturally.

Although it is the major type of strength, as noted by others that level tends not to help-& likely hurts-boxers.
The extra muscle tends to cause guys to gas. Even if they do not lose flexibility & range of motion, hence punch effectiveness.
However near these levels may be useful...

 

You can see the difference in build & muscle between Cooney & Foreman.
Although they both hit-at least at that point-about equally hard.
Just look at the difference in their limbs, particularly arms, when they fought.

 

The UFC has a weight limit of 265 pounds.
The current World's Strongest Man is a bit over 400 pounds. He'd have to cut off both legs to make weight.

 

Unless he was eating and training like a fighter.

 

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This is the closest to that. Former 5x World's Strongest Man winner Mariusz Pudzianowski, who has had some success an an MMA fighter.
But Mariusz as a strongman was only around 310. I'm not sure what his weight is here.

 

Tony Tubbs said Riddick Bowe wasn't as strong as he thought he'd be and that Tyson was much stronger physically

 

Yeah, I believe that. Tyson was a freak of nature - the ultimate mesomorph. Bowe was by no means a pure mesomorph and when he wasn't in top shape (which wasn't very often) he had some endomorph (pear shaped) characteristics. He was a big strong guy for sure but not in Tyson's league.

 

There's no such thing as "bodybuilder numbers". And those numbers are VERY achievable with a few years of dedication to training. Do you seriously think you need drugs to put up those numbers? Here's Austin Baraki pulling 765 lbs. He's 5'9, 195 lbs.

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Here's Alan Thrall at 6' and about 240 lbs squatting 500x5:

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What is your strength training experience and what is your best squat/bench/deadlift?

There is absolutely no evidence of this.

Fighters only gas due to newly acquired muscle mass when they neglect their conditioning in this context.

Lifting weights does not inhibit flexibility. If anything, strength training would prove beneficial to flexibility.