A great big man always beats a great little one they say. That's what happened, as Ezzard alludes to.
JT. Watch the video clip above, they look the same size. Nelson taller, but overall body mass even. Neck, shoulders, waist, legs, etc. Just because Nelson was moving up, it makes everyone think that on the night he was the smaller man, when he clearly wasn't. If anyone watched that fight without knowing anything about boxing they would not come to the conclusion Nelson was the "smaller" man. "A great big man always beats a great little one". Most of the time. But I would not use that phrase for Whitaker beating Nelson. Nothing to do with being a Whitaker fan, hence the avatar.
Nelson did look strong as hell and perfectly comfortable at the weight against Whitaker. he was just never in Whitaker's class even at his very best.
You guys both miss the point, Nelson was never a natural lightweight, not at all. Both weighing 135 fight night means nothing in the context of my statement, which has long been boxing lore. Sanchez - Gomez, Gomez - Zarate, Arguello - Pryor, Spinks - Tyson, Charles - Marciano, the list is endless.