Did the reduction from 15 to 12 rounds enable "modern superheavyweights"?

I do think the 12 round distance does allow the big guys to have a better chance of getting the distance. That being said, since most of the big bouts are super heavy against super heavy I don't know if much would be different if we were still at 15 rounds.

 

That was just one of many factors, a larger number of bigger men in general started entering the division post 1980s and many 6'4+ heavyweights today wouldn't be so big without their access fat. Carl Williams had a frame of a modern 250 pounder but he was lean and built for speed so he capped at around the 230s and was at his best in the 220s-210s

 

yes one of the major factors.

 

I am inclined to say that it's, at the very least, a very good question that always needs explored, because the sizes are still on an upward trajectory, I think, and I lean toward the answer being 'yes.' Willard seemed pretty anomalous for his time in the size/stamina group he'd be in but asking a man the size of Lennox or Wlad or Fury to do fifteen is a huge ask, considering it's a lot for a smaller fighter to do, to begin with. Fury actually being in something I'd call the shape of a professional athlete, he was roughly the same size as Wlad, bigger bones, less muscle definition, taller, but both 240's guys, in good to excellent shape, if I remember correctly. And the activity level of their 12-rounder was abysmal, imo, I'd note. But, you've got to say, not just the physical ability to maintain reasonable winning punch count, that's one thing, then there's the mental ability to pace yourself enough to get to the finish. There are small heavyweights that are physically fit but horrible at that mental part. It would destroy a super heavyweight pretty easily, on average. I truly don't know how much of the round change enabled this and how much it is a matter of learning how to train a body differently, as even looking at the NBA, there are guys who'd be trained a bit scrawny with the same genes back in 1985 who are looking very muscled today and they're still hauling butt up and down that court.

 

Not at all. All it would do is weed out the fit from the unfit SHW. The Klitschkos could do 15 rounds in their sleep. In fact, it might even advantage the big cautious guys who slowly pile on the damage throughout a fight.

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No I think it was other systemic factors meaning only the very best smaller fighters would go to HW.

Shorter roundage generally makes it easier for the MW/LHW to beat the SHW. They need to win less rounds and survive less time.

 

It seems to me that size really did start to increase until in the early 70's. Up to that time 195-205 lbs was the typical range, but then increased significantly over the coming 15 years, even before 12 rds was set as a limit.

By the mid 80's, with 15 rd fights, the typical range was probably around 225-235 lbs.

Yes, several of them carried excess weight, but even without that they wouldn't be lighter than around 220.

EDIT: The typical range was more like 215-225 actually.

 

No. The idea just lends to the myth that dried out, non lifting, CTE gym war, Western heavyweights of years past were superior.

 

I had a look at what the top guys in 1985 weighed and it was actually lighter than I thought. Around 220 lbs, with Spinks of course as the outlier.

That is about the same as 1975, maybe even a bit less, but significantly higher than in 1965 though.

EDIT: Actually that was 1984, in 1985 Page and Witherspoon had reached the 230's and Tubbs came into the equation as well, but this was largely surpuls weight.

 

The reduction in the scheduled length of title fights isn't the primary reason HWs have, on average, gotten much heavier over the decades. PEDs, supplements, S&C and diet are.

50+ years ago most world class HWs fought 10-round bouts, with only the champion and challenger fighting 15-rounds.

Nowadays most world class HWs hold, or challenge for, one of the profileration of titles, over 12-rounds. I.e. World class fighters today typically contest bouts scheduled for more rounds than their counterparts 50+ years ago, did.

Equally, the average HW contender today is significantly heavier than when world title bouts were first reduced to 12-rounds.