Great example. As much as fans might want concrete numbers, the truth is that much of the "tale of the tape" measurements are self-reported, and therefore fluid & ripe for exaggeration. That's just the nature of it. 80.5 is still a freakish reach for his height, but that's a much more believable number for me than 84.
I believe he had an +80 inch reach, maybe even 84. Watched again his first fight with Ali the other day, could not believe how long and thick his arms look. They make Ali arms look like pencil and are longer also.
Good points, but Rahman was bulked up, i would not be surprised if Liston had wider shoulders, i mean clavicle. Rahman has huge hands, but Liston also had freakish size hands. If Rahman has an 82 inch, it is very possible that liston had an 84 inch.
One thing for sure those boxrec reach listings are not accurate. For example, Michael Dokes obviously had short arms and his reach is listed 78 inches, no way does that look accurate.
Boxrec is funny with reach. Lightheavyweight contender Sean George 6 ft tall with an 82 inch reach. Bob Foster was 6'3.5 and had a 79 wingspan, no way is George's longer. I've seen 6'3 David Izon at 83 inches, again I don't think so. Oliver McCall 6'2 with an 82 inch reach no way in hell. Bruno made McCall look small and I remember seeing MCall in a tale of the tape in one of his fights at 74 inches.
Just for the hell of it I'm going to make a list of wingspan measurements that I believe are believeable, here goes- Ali - 78 Holmes-79 Norton-78 Foreman-79 Lyle-76 Shavers-79 Witherspoon-76 Cooney -81 Lewis-82 Rahman-82 Bruno-82 Leon Spinks-76 Michael Spinks-74 W Klitschko-79 V Klitschko-79 Frazier-73.5 Quarry-72 Morrison-75 Botha-74 Corrie Sanders-77 Golota-78 Bowe-81 Holyfield-77 Qawi-71 Lance Whitaker-84 Akinwande-86 M Grant-85 Mercer-76 Briggs -80 Lyachovich-74 J Thunder-77 M Harris-80 Tyson-71 Bugner-80 that's all for now. Many people are going to disagree with at least some of these numbers and that's fine. These are all fighters that I've seen and in the tale of the tape these are the SHORTEST reach/wingspan numbers that I've listed above. Yeah I know Holmes is listed at 81 usually, but before the Norton fight he was listed at 79. Ali many times is listed at 80-82, but I've seen Howard Cosell on tv with a tape measure him at 78 inches, when Ali was on with Wilt Chamberlain. Lennox later in his career was listed at 84, but before Holyfield he was at 82. Call me pessimistic but I tend to believe shorter reaches than longer.
Liston's reach is listed as 80" in a few fights if memory serves, specifically the Martin fight. I personally feel that is closer to the truth than the more common 84" listing.
Regardless, I would say Liston and Baer had the most range of any heavyweights I've seen that were under 6'3".
Height and Reach are often fudged, usually exaggerated, but sometimes understated to fool opponents. I prefer HBO's way of measuring reach, from the pit of the arm to the fist. I prefer to call it the striking distance, which is at its peak straight from the shoulder with no arc. The more a fighter has to angle up to hit a taller opponent, the less his striking distance is. This is why much taller fighter has an advantage and can even be an inch or so less in reach, but still, have a striking distance advantage to the head, On Lewis, his measured arm length the way HBO does it was 29 inches, only beaten by Vitali Klitschko who measured 29.5" I've never seen one higher than 29.5" Lewis listed box rec reach of 84" is a little exaggerated I think, and Vitlai's listed reach of 79" or 80" I think is a little understated.
