How did super heavyweights suddenly improve?

It kind of began in the late 80s and early 90s with Bowe and Lennox whereby the big HWs didn't have just size, they actually had skill, and were properly coached and trained, also the evolving sports science with cardio etc, played a factor too.

It was one of the reasons why Bowe V Lennox was such a big fight, it was basically meant to be the start of the modern era with two SUPER BIG guys that were actually skilled.

Also, lots of Eastern Europeans were big HWs but like with Cuba - the Soviet Union did not allow them to compete professionally until after the Soviet Union broke up in the early 90s in which we saw Vitali, Wladimir, etc.

 

Increase in population, fall of communism, access, etc.

 

They added two divisions between them

 

Growing populations, advancements in nutrition, sports science and PEDs.

Similar reasons to why US footballers and rugby players, for example, are typically much bigger now than they were in eras from the distant past.

 

The extremely short answer is communism.

 

Tucker and Douglas are some of the first really BIG heavyweights to come to mind. Talented guys who were 6'5 and 6'4 a piece. Most other big guys before that I can't really credit with being that great of boxers- Baer, O'Halloran, etc.

I think that by the start of the 80's, the average size of modern heavyweights had pretty palpably gotten bigger. Cooney was 6'6, Tate, Williams, and Smith were 6'4, Tubbs, Witherspoon, Thomas, Dokes, Coetzee, and Holmes were 6'3, and then guys like Tillis, Page, and Berbick were all 6'2. 6'1 was now below average amongst them.

 

Because they’d end up as asylum seekers for international fights and good luck with a live gate in USSR.

 

Their government wouldn't allow it.

 

Because communist states knew and know that if a fighter goes professional they'll just defect for a better quality of life considering a communist economy has never succeeded. Happens a lot with Cuban fighters these days.

 

As the art of infighting became all but lost. Fighters in general aren't as good as they used to be, they aren't as experienced and they're not being taught as well , it's not nostalgia it's just the way it is.

 

There are two explanations that we might consider.

One is that there are simply a lot more big men, hence more chance of getting a really good one.

The other is that modern sports science, has benefited these men more than most.

By that I mean that a man who would have been a 220lb string bean back in the day, can be built up into a 245lb monster today.

 

I think its a combination of both