Evander Holyfield - "small" heavyweight?

Possible. I do know Tyson was 197 lbs at 15.

 

Holmes always seemed kind of skinny and narrow. He was tall, but I don't think he had the same type of frame as a Foreman, who always seemed thick and wide. As for heights, I don't think Foreman ever was 6'4". He was slightly taller than Ali, who was closer to 6'2" than 6'3". Holmes, a legit 6'3", was at least an inch taller than Ali.

 

Holyfield has skinny legs, a small waist and midsection (not just lean but small). Holyfield has a big neck, chest, and biceps... that's about it really.

Foreman was big all over. Big hands and feet, forearms, calves, ankles, wrists... as well as neck, chest, biceps, etc. Add in that he is tall with a long reach and you'll see that even though he only weighed-in at 217 Lbs vs. Frazier... he was a very big man that would not be undersized vs. any HW Champ ever.

 

Evander's height maybe a tad exaggerated at 6′ 2½″, but he was certainly not short, however I would count any heavy under 210lbs as "small" in modern times.
Holy of 1988 (at 202lbs vs Tillis ) to 1993 (at 212lbs vs Stewart II ) was a "small" heavyweight becuase he was only over 210lbs twice (vs Stewart) but since then he consistently weighed in excess of 210lbs, even reaching 220/221lbs. Regarding Tyson, I count him as "small" because despite weighing 212-240lbs, his 5'10" height is undeniably short.

 

I think Ali was really 6'3, I've never seen him listed at anything other than that. But I've seen Foreman and Holmes listed as 6'4, so they are probably around 6'3 1/2 and it just depends if it was rounded up or down.

 

I don't think Evander was small, but he wasn't big either. I think he was a pretty average sized heavyweight in his prime.

 

Holyfield wasn't a small heavyweight.
Even against Bowe he wasn't much smaller, at least not in the 2nd and 3rd fights.
Holyfield was ripped, no fat, at 212 pounds. Bowe wouldn't have been much more than 215 had he been the same level of body fat as Evander.
Bowe was taller but overall mass wasn't much more.

Lennox Lewis was certainly bigger than Holyfield, but Lewis was bigger than most the heavyweights he faced.

 

No, Ali was 6'3.
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This is still exactly my sentiment, even after hearing everybody's arguments.

To call him a small heavyweight of the modern era is just as wrong as would be calling him a super heavyweight. He's as middle-of-the-road as it gets in every physical measurement you can think of for an in-shape modern heavyweight.

 

In the book, "The Last Great Fight," which you can view through google books....talking about the sparring match a young Tyson had with Bobby Stewart, which saw Stewart "getting all he could handle from a thirteen-year-old boy"...Matt Baranski, who once managed and trained Stewart, said ..."Yeah, Mike was thirteen," Baranski recalled with a laugh, but he weighed 186 pounds. And it was a solid 186 pounds."

page 27

 

Disagree. Bowe was naturally heavier bone-mass wise. And don't forget beside the height difference, Holyfield had a small waist and thin legs like a LH. Bowe was thick. And Bowe in the first fight was in very good shape and just didn't have that bulked up look from lifting like Holyfield did. Bowe had "smooth" muscle which is good for boxers.

Bowe's problem was keeping weight off. Holyfield's was keeping weight on.

 

Didn't he say the first time he put Mike as a 12yo under the bench 'he pressed 275lbs a weight most men will never press 10 times'

I call BS on that mainly down to the fact bench press takes a degree of technique and the first time you do it you rarely put up anything impressive

 

Not quite sure at 12 or that weight.

One thing is for sure, everyone that saw him said he was an incredible physical specimen and very strong.

I think he was obese at one point, then started to train in boxing, then the fat came off, the muscles became ripped, then he started to grow again...all by the time he got to Catskill.



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Angelo Dundee stated that Ali was 6'2". I think in the Olympics Ali was listed at 6'2 1/2". But Ali often times looked shorter than other fighters who were listed at his heights. Ken Norton claimed in his book that he(Ken) was exactly 6'2 3/4". Ali fought Joe Bugner who was 6'4", and Bugner looked more than 1" taller than Ali. I think a lot of fighters are measured in their boxing shoes or regular shoes, and they just go with that height. I once saw an earlier magazine article about a young George Foreman that listed Foreman as 6'5". And a lot of people say Holyfield is closer to 6'1". He didn't look that much taller than Tyson when standing face to face.

 

Angelo Dundee said Ali was 6"2 but fought tall and used his height but he saw him measured at 6"2 even