Yes, yes: I know about that Tyson guy. He was exceptional though. Fighters in that position don't have any room to slip up. Foreman got away with a comeback with height and reach, but Tyson was just a short heavyweight with short arms after he lost his speed. He was nothing special aside from a big punch after he lost a relatively small edge. Now fighters are bigger and stronger. The top guys are in shape at over 240 to 250 and are 6'5 and over. Now, don't get touchy and go ballistic on my ass if you disagree. Just talk about the prospect of seeing another short guy dominate.
Tua is way under 6' but he's pretty much done in 2010.... I still wanna see Tua get a shot at Haye or Holy....... Leave the "K" bros. alone.......... MR.BILL
If you have the right mechanisms for imposing your kind of fight on the big tall guys, things are winnable, e.g. Frazier.
You have partialy answered that question yourself. Such fighters need superior technique and or other atributes to be sucesfull today.
Pure bull****. This question has come up periodically throughout the modern age of boxing, and somebody always comes along to capsize the notion. Burns succeeded Jeffries, Dempsey (who was just over six feet but typically fought shorter) destroyed the giant Willard, Marciano was widely considered to be far too short and short armed to make it when he was coming up, Frazier and Tyson are on many top five heavyweight lists, RJJ schooled Ruiz, an old fat Toney has competed well amongst the heavyweights, and Tua holds knockout wins over champions Rahman, Moorer and Ruiz. If Tua and Toney were still in their mid 20s, we wouldn't be having this discussion. Even an old and fat Qawi had his moments with a 232 pound Foreman. Not only is it always a matter of time before another sub six footer comes along to gain the title, there will always be a sub 200 pounder to sneak away with the HW crown, just as everybody starts to assume that will never happen again. The brothers Spinks were both under 200 pounds when they made history, then RJJ repeated it a lousy seven years ago. All it takes is an updated and peaking version of Toney to do it again. (Does anybody doubt that James could have made a respectable heavyweight champion if in his late 20s and weighing around 195 in top condition?)
One beltholder (Jones was not the heavyweight champion) in thirty years is not a lot. That much you have to admit. And yes, i doubt that James would've made a respectable heavyweight champion at 195lbs, considering he barely got past Jirov in what most consider his best effort in the higher weight classes.
Fair enough, Chris. (I'll defer to you on Toney, as he came after my period of interest in the sport. What I find interesting about him is that neither Peter or anybody else crushed him instantly, like a bug, the way everybody seemed to take for granted would happen.) What I object to is the absolutist suggestion that smaller men are automatically dead meat for the heavyweight division of today and the future. (Perhaps of more concern for modern fans is whether or not the heavyweight division will even have one belt holder in the next thirty years, instead of the four, seven or ten which I understand currently muddle the division!)
The time is ripe for a reincarnation to step up and light the sport on fire again. (Unfortunately, too many other lucrative and safer alternatives are now competing with boxing for the best athletes.)
your a funny guy being shorter sometimes has its advantages, as was mentioned earlier frazier, tyson, marciano would be beltholders today. you just have the right style, and use it well. if you look at these superheavyweights of modern times how many of them are atg? also remember that it is nothing new carnera, baer, and willard were all 6'5" 6'6" and were not very dominant. they were compleatly outclassed by smaller opponents, history will repeat itself.:deal
there is a lot of fighters that are barely past the 6 foot mark weighing far too much. between Frazier and Tyson there wasnt very many contenders under 6ft- ossie ocassio being one then tyson came along then there seemed to be a few. it was like he gave them hope. burt cooper, james pritchard, big foot martin, orlin noris, gary mason, bruce seldon then there was border line guys that were borderline 6ft like weaver, holyfeild, mercer, botha. some of those guys wore stacked heels i am sure! even now for all the 250 pounders most are under a genuine 6ft 4.