Evander Holyfield - "small" heavyweight?

He was a Helmet Head Heavyweight.

 

I met Holy and he had a VERY big head - looks comically big compared to mine in the photo I had with him - and I thought my head was a little over sized haha but he wasn't particularly big really - I think in reality he's probably no bigger than 6'1" which is what he used to be listed as at cruiser weight I think maybe he seemed shorter as he kinda walked in a hunched way but he wasn't physically imposing whereas when I met Muhammad Ali he seemed as wide as a barn door and definitely taller but physically far more physical presence - and Johnny Nelson when I met him was like a physical freak! Absolutely freakin' HUGE!? How he ever got down to cruiser weight is beyond me MAHOOSIVE GUY! Seeing Ali and Holy can only imagine how big say Foreman was - and Sonny Liston man that guy must've been scary!? But yeah Holy was naturally a cruiser so in modern terms I guess people don't consider him huge but small is a bit of a stretch - he bulked up to probably a good Joe Louis-ish size frame

 

Evander was an average sized heavyweight for his era and a small champ. Typically HW champs are above average size for their division.

Dominant champs who were larger than the average contender of their era include:
Wlad
Vitali
Lewis
Bowe
Holmes
Foreman
Ali
Liston (average height but heavy and insane reach)
Louis
Johnson
Jeffries

Shorter/lighter than average contender champs include:
Tyson
Patterson
Marciano

Average sized (again, compared to era's contenders) champs include:
Holyfield
Frazier (shorter but heavier)
Tunney
Dempsey
Sullivan

Those are all the champs I'd currently rate as "dominant", and well over half of them were larger than the average contender of their era.

Also, I don't think its revisionary because I recall commentators at the time of the Bowe fights noting Holyfield was at a disadvantage because of his size.

 

Historically speaking he's slightly bigger than average. In his time (1990's to 2000's), he was slightly smaller than average. Today he's certainly small.

 

Well since 1990 the top guy has been over 220 pounds, with the exception for Holyfield who should be 1-4 on fair score cards vs Bowe and Lewis ( he struggled vs bigger skilled guys ) and Moorer who upset Holyfield.

The 1990's and 2000's up to this point has clearly belong to big men. Bowe, Lewis, V Klitschko, W. Klitschko and Joshua.

These days 6'4" 240 pounds is the new " average " top ten heavyweight. Someone can do the math at ring magazine top ten if they have the time.

[url]https://www.ringtv.com/ratings/?weightclass=272[/url]

All the top up and coming prospects ( 2016 Olympic gold, silver, bronze and bronze ) have even bigger dimensions. In addition the top world amateurs at 91K+ are also similar dimensions.

Whether or not these giants make better fights for the fans is debatable, but the fact that 6'2" 220 pound heavyweights are going to be in short supply at the top ranks is a continuing trend. I'm not saying a 220 pound guy can't win, he's going to need a very good chin, plus power and skills to do it. Or to catch a older or chinny champ.

Povektin, age 39 has a chance to punch out this massive trend vs. Joshua, but after he retires, I just don't see any grade A prospects at 220 pounds on the horizon for the next 4+ years and I have decent info on the all new pro heavies and the top amateurs.

 

Holyfield was not bigger than frazier it is a total bullshi7 IN FACT THE REVERSE IS TRUTH, FRAZIER WAS THE BIGGER MAN, JOE NEVER TOUCHED A WEIGHT IN HIS COMPLETE LIFE AND HE WEIGHED 210 WITHOUT PROBLEM AT 5'11 OF HEIGHT AND EVANDER AT 24 WEIGHED 187 POUNDS AT 6'2 , HE TRAINED LIKE A RAT IN THE GYM AND USED ROIDS TO WEIGH 209 POUNDS IN HIS PEAK AT HW. FRAZIER HAD THE FRAME OF TYSON, EXACTLY THE SAME ONE, A SINGLE LEG OF JOE WAS AS THICK LIKE 2 OF EVANDER SO LEARN ANY CRAP BEFORE SAYING NONSENSEA

 

Exactly, the frames of Ali and foreman were much bigger than evander's. The legs of holyfield were skinny. Frazier had bigger frame than holyfield