Don't get it twisted with the Heavies: Bigger does not mean better.

You think they didn't have big guys back in the day?

They did, but the mother ****ers got their asses beat by smaller, compact, in shape fighters with speed and power.

Look at Vitali for instance, the guy has some thudding punches, but his speed is severely lacking.

I'm not taking away anything from Vitali because in his prime he was definitely an exception as he was a big man with skill that would be formidable in any era, but I don't see him being able to beat a guy with great headmovement and a good jab.

I think a prime Tyson would have pummled Vitali Klitschko, and while it's possible that Vitali might have lasted the distance because he's very tough, he wouldn't have the speed to catch Tyson coming in and Tyson would open up shop on Vitali's body and head, throwing blisteringly fast, brutal combinations.

And I'm sorry to everyone obsessed with Lennox Lewis, but while he may be faster than Vitali, he has less a chin and still wouldn't have the speed necessary to deal with a prime Mike Tyson.

And furthermore when I watch old tapes of guys like Joe Louis, Ezzard Charles, and Rocky Marciano, I see why relatively small men in comparison to the big men today dominated the sport.

For instance, look at Sam Peter and Gomez. Sure they're big, but they couldn't move for ****. The mother ****ers went straight in just asking to be punched in the face, yet still Vitali had trouble capitalizing by throwing a solid straight punch fast enough to floor Gomez.

The difference is that those small guys had extremelly heavy hands, but they had the speed and the skill to go with it. I used to believe that guys from that era wouldn't be able to compete with guys today, but I'm starting to believe otherwise.

 

funny that ..

i agree,my wife doesnt!

 

That sounds like a personal problem, but you better keep your wife in check.

 

Agreed, todays heavys suck compared to the heavys of the past...

 

I agree

people say that the bigger fighters have changed it but I reckon its just there is no small, powerful fast guys around anymore

Haye could clean up shop it if he had either a chin or a decent defense, he might even do it anyway

 

Vitali doesnt move well but he has perfected a style that suits his size ( although I think his age is starting to catch up with him ! )

Wlad is one of the few that can move reasonably well despite his bulk , but he is still " stiff "

There is way too much emphasis put on height and weight now , a good fighter of ( for example ) Hayes size is big enough to put anyone away , with the exception perhaps of Valuev but I doubt anyone could knock him out.

( top answer Socrates ! )

 

Heavyweight Title fights are now showing up "live" on ESPN.That in itself is a statement of todays heavy's.:dead

 

Noone is saying Valuev would compete with Ali anyways. Bigger sure as hell helps though. If it doesn't then that just makes the accomplishments of guys like Lewis and on a lesser level Vitali even more impressive.

I think Vitali beats Tyson, but then I've never rated Tyson very highly.

 

Nobody thinks that bigger means better. However, bigger with skill is a another story. No big men from the past were as skilled, athletic, or intelligent in the ring as the Klitschkos.

 

I agree bigger doesn't always mean better. Too many heavyweights these days are either carrying excess bodyfat or over muscled both which are detrimental to a boxer's performance. Jones Jr and Toney have shown that being smaller at heavyweight isn't always a disadvantage. Holyfield who can never be said to be a big heavyweight showed he could beat much bigger men. Size is only a factor until a certain point.

 

We got it on ESPN Classic lol, then a replay on ESPN2. What happened with the ESPN broadcast, or did the time-zone snafu cause it to be co-opted by the high school wrestling championship rofl). So did anyone in the US actually see it on ESPN?

 

But how do you know? I don't think there is sufficient film footage to suggest this.

 

Eddie Chambers would the best heavy out there if he had punching power strong enough to be respected in the ring. His fight with Alexander Povetkin was in fact good, He was boxing well and punching very accurately until the later half of the fight. He was beating Alexander Povetkin, but he lacked that power to at least get Povetkin's respect. Although Eddie Chambers, weathered Povetkin's storm of power punching and high output he didn't get the win. I think as a heavy, Chambers has it all, although, he isn't that big either. He has speed, stanima, good punch output, a very good chin, but his power is what will be most difficult for him against good opposition.

 

Well, I do. I guess that I have seen more footage than you.

 

thankinyou....

fact is people said the same a bout the tyson era..

the marciano era..

etc

joe louis fans were probably sending each other second class mail denegrating jack johnson's ability and era lol,its means nothing nostalgia blinds one into thinking things were always better back in the day...