Classic Forum Chat: Size isn't the only factor.

I don't think Braddock's technical skills were anything special ,Loughran made him look silly,he was fortunate to get a sentimental decision over Tommy Farr and out boxing a disinterested Max Baer is no great feat.imo

 

Just to be a bit pedantic - Walcott's best weight is above 195 lbs. Usyk has around 20 lbs on him, not 30 lbs.

 

Anyone think Liston.Foreman,Lyle Ruddock.could not compete with todays guys?

 

I've heard quite a few opinions about how Liston wouldn't be anything special because he only beat small guys.

 

Having won over 300 amateur fights and beaten big guys like Joe Joyce along the way ,he probably just required some fine tuning to initially acclimatise himself to the pro style, he obviously had the speed of both hand and foot from the get go.

 

They'd most certainly compete.

 

I was under the impression the on going argument was that ,"a certain heavyweight champ," would be too small for todays big guys? Not a 6 ft 3 in 220lbs man.Six feet 2 in220lbs Povetkin was in the top 3 for 6 straight years 2010,2016 and ranked right through to the end of 2020.He did okay imo.

 

We will have to differ on that point then.Loma won a world title in his 3rd fight and has now had just 17 .I think he has won 3 world titles , I believe the 300+ amateur fights he had gave him a solid grounding for the pro game.Usyk won a world title in his 10th pro fight,Beterbiev,106 amateur fights,maybe lot more ,won a world tile in his12 pro fight all these guys were already winning versions of titles, [intercontinental etc] before this how much did,Usyl Loma and Beterbiev really learn from their pro fights up to time they won their first world titles?

 

Hopefully you don't suscribe to that view.

 

Not at all, Liston was big and good enough to compete with anyone. I don't like using size argument in general. Size is an important factor, but it's only a key factor if it gives certain advantage against certain opponent.

 

I'd pick Fury too.

 

Three Eastern European fighters have now won titles with a total of 25 pro fights under their belts when they did so,Nobody is going to convince me their long amateur pedigrees did not have a huge imput in their success.The downside is that often by the time they are successful in the pro game they are already into their early 30's!

 

I agree completely. With a "small" caveat that while Usyk could be competitive in any era, there is a difference between a man who builds up to his size via modern weight training, & say Lyle who got there with just boxing & the likes of endless push ups.
That is, Usyk like Spinks needed to build up the extra muscle to handle naturally bigger guys, but those with a larger frame like Lyle tend to have more power & be more heavy handed.