Smaller fighters beating bigger fighters what is the real explanation

At heavyweight, obviously there's a limit to how much size will help. At some point it's probably going to hinder.

Example, Valuev.

 

when speed, timing, power, technique, stamina, skills, agility, style etc etc overcome the advantages of size then the smaller fighter defeats the bigger fighter,,,,

when it doesn't, not so much.

 

Deliberate hyperbole on my part. The point being, Wlad and Lewis for all their size are still not seen as the golden standard of the division. A man 40lbs lighter is.

 

ok, i get yeah :good

 

Weight divisions are important for lighter weights where 5 pounds means something. At hwt it's a different story.

 

I think there are 2 factors, one is the skill factor that is not the same today (what big fighter ever dominated up until Lennox Lewis and the Klitschko's and what other big fighter could go back in time without enhancements and modern muscle growth. Who were the dominant Big men up until Ali....there were a few but the best sized heavyweight seemed to be the Joe Louis mold about 6'2 but no one came close to Joe's offensive ****nal ....these days there is another class, the Super heavyweights and they should create a class below it from 190-to 225 and then 225-up and then they can battle from time to time I would do away with the Cruiser weight division by name and follow the Olympic weights because most of our great fighters today are products of them

 

Tunney a giant killer? He usually picked on men smaller than he. He never beat a big fighter. He flat out ducked the 6'3 225 George Godfrey

 

They have been invincible against sub 200lb men

 

Wills ducked the same guy multiple times. In Tunney's defense, Godfrey was a low blow king, suspected of fouling purpose to fix a fight. Or Hand cuffed to lose.

What good would a DQ win, or a Tunney UD do for him as many of the time say Godfrey was a " hand cuffed fighter "?

Tunney did offer to fight Wills later. Wills refused.

Yeah--Tunney used the color line a little, but there really was not a lot of top level black heavies in the 1920's at heavyweight, or light heavy.

You could say Tunney vs. Norfolk could have been made if the right purse or belt was out there.

 

*** It is my opinion that a very skilled smaller fighter from 165-175 pounds can defeat a 190-205 pound man if the height, and reach are close enough, and the smaller man has a speed and mobility edge for a points win.

If the much heavier fighter has a good jab with better range, and can box, forget it!

The advantage goes away around 210 pounds unless the smaller guy has an all time chin and stamina for a points win.

There is always the puncher's chance. History show big punchers at 165 pounds can be found, but there are very rare. Big punchers at 180-195 are more numerous than those at 165-170, but still somewhat rare in the context of heavyweight history, and almost gone for good in a modern sense because heavyweight have moved up 30 pounds on average since 1960. ***

So the smaller fighter needs:

Skills edge
Speed edge
Stamina edge
And to be at least as durable.

 

They haven't fought any sub 200 lb men. Modern rules won't allow it.

 

there has not been natural sub-200lb men anymore, mostly guys using weight these day that may naturally be 175lbs...the men that flattened Lewis cold 2X were about 6'2 and Brewster may have been 6'1 and if they were fighting in a weight-minded-condition orientated era they would have been fitter and less muscled. The men that Flattened these Super-Heavyweight were basically Joe Louis size and Rahman & Brewster were more football player type built than boxers

put Joe Louis in the ring in replace of those men and he dispatches them quickly IMO and there would a few others that can do it. Thing is we can not cross era's and today we need to follow the Olympics and add a division so that other fit men can fight in the 190-225 division and above 225 division and then they can battle

 

Both of the men who flattened Lewis had 6 inches in reach over Louis, and at least 30lbs in weight. To disregard those stats is ludicrous.

And as the saying goes, " a good big un, will always beat a good little un " Matching good little un's against little more than average big un's doesn't prove anything. Pac is a great example of this. Stick him in with weight drained big un's or B class big un's and he looked great. Put him in with equally as good as him, and it is a totally different story.

 

there was also a saying from years past "the bigger they are the harder they fall" and so far only Vitali Klitschko and Valuev has proven them wrong

By the way neither McCall, Rahman,Brewster,or Sanders were in the class of an elite fighter at anytime in their careers -reach or not

 

I'm going to take a wild guess and say talent.