Finally, an interesting and accurate article on the (non-existent) need to establish the super heavyweight category and its historical implications. Read on a new Italian site, which also has an English version. https://boxepunch.com/en/top-en/point-of-view-en/oleksandr-usyk-has-destroyed-the-myth-of-giant
Being bigger has its advantages. Being smaller has its advantages. Poor talent-pool or average division will favour the bigger boys, as those advantages are more idiot-proof.
Good read, thanks. I’ve always maintained that while size can be an advantage it’s not the be all end all. I laughed over the years at some of the Ludacris threads that have popped up on here. I don’t know if they’re troll jobs or not things like. “Joy Joyce is too big and would destroy prime George Foreman” AJ beating Ali, Ruiz beating Frazier. I don’t frequent this site as often as I once did, but the list could go on and on. I’ve always just shook my head and laughed at most of them. It’s nice to see that Usyk has restored some of the balance of normalcy in peoples minds, although not completely based on some of the threads I still see.
I don’t think many, if anyone, who said this meant it was impossible for a smaller man to compete with a larger heavyweight…. And certainly not Usyk vs Fury, a fight that was generally looked at as a 50/50 fight…… Usyk is a generational talent.. For more average athletes, it might suck a little more to fight guys 30+ lbs bigger than them.. I don’t think one fight, featuring one of the most talented fighters of the last decade, proves much of anything here….. To;Dr: What @Rollin said.
Yes, it was an almost 50 50 fight. And tha vast majority of who had Fury as the clear favorite based their prediction upon Fury being too big.
It isn't that old in history to just look up how size favoritism came to be, but I'll do like a cliff notes version. Quick learning means you're still missing a lot and should probably look up the details. 686BC-15th century AD: No weight divisions, divisions were done by maturity and gender. Boys, Girls, Mens, Womurnz. Rarely was there crossover, but there was crossover. 15th Century - 19th Century: Weight divisions are informal at best and agreed on by competitors before the fight while settling the articles of agreement. Okay, just remember that for just a second and let's back up to the beginning of boxing. 686BC-15th Century AD: The concept of a scheduled end to a fight simply does not exist in the sport. The most absurd cases are of course Greek claims for singles and medieval Italian for team boxing. For search reference, use the term pygmachia for ancient boxing and pugni for dark ages venetian team boxing. Both claim to have fights last days, the Venetians for weeks. 15th Century - 19th Century: The scheduling of the end of a fight is informal at best and terms are decided by the parties before the fight, while settling the articles of agreement. To be clear, I am including Dover's London Olympics, abouts 1463 if memory serves. Okay, well as y'all know... 20th Century - 21 Century boxing features formalized weight divisions, time limits, stoppages, ratings, mandatories, and heaps of other rules. I shouldn't have to say this, but to wrap it up in a nice package, big men do not do well in any era before the introduction of time limits. Small men had their physical advantage stripped from them with the introduction of time limits. It is simply impossible for a 150 pound man to be as strong or strong than a 250 pound man if all levels of fitness are equal. Likewise, it is simply impossible for a 250 pound man to recuperate energy as quickly as a 150 pound man. Giving a time limit favors the large man. Time, not size disparity, is the biggest killer in boxing history. If allowed, fighters will punch themselves to death. The exhaustion rather than the damage taken is the big killer. Time limits had to happen, and quickly behind them weight divisions are formalized.
Height, reach and weight has always been an advantage in boxing. It just is. It's the same at HW. Obviously other factors have to be considered, skill, speed, will power, chin..... Those things can make a difference. The question marks are mostly about the chin at HW could Usyk take a big shot against a bigger opponent, the answer was yes, that's where his skill, speed, will became the difference. Boxing fights aren't won on paper. If they were Valuev or Fury would be the greatest that ever did it.
I suppose I should have added, for clarity. Biology dictates the added bonus for size has a peak curve, not ever upward. That is to say, yes, generally speaking big men are stronger than small men, however at a certain point in size we human simply lack the biology for that to not be a deficit. For example, if you are 400 pounds, even if by some means fit, you're still too heavy to efficiently move. Just period. Most of your power is robbed by your size. Your ability to put energy onto another body is hampered by the energy it costs you to move at all. The strength and integrity of your bones becomes a concern under their own weight let alone trauma of force on them. I do not ever see it pointed out the large man has a conditioning deficit. Nor do I ever see the fact that too large also means easier, not harder, to hurt with the same ft-lbs of torque applied. When your understanding of boxing history is - I've read heaps of opinions about the 1920s-current boxing on a forum. When your ability to apply physics accounts for - I've forgotten Newton a long time ago but what Cus says is the word of God When your grasp of biology is - I'm a fat couch potato who criticized pro boxers shape and fat content No wonder youse hardly have any grasp of what is and is not and intrinsic deficit as per the rules followed, what is biological, and what isn't at all an advantage but rather the myth of advantage. Fury lost to workrate. Fury can't compete with Usyk in workrate and has to figure out a way to win without. If he tries he will be fighting what his body is best at to try to be good at something his body will never be as good at, as Usyks. Likewise should Usyk make an attempt to gain forty pounds of fat and place his tits on Fury's head he will lose because he's fighting his own body as much as Tyson. No, we do not need more weight divisions. If anything we're fine with less. No one died for BW to be a thing. There are no great BWs... still. All great fighters avoid BW. Think about it. Most of the **** being said and has been said on this topic is actually really stupid.
