HW's are supposed to be big, too many out of shape boxers fighting there these days bc they are lazy to get fit. Anyway, guys like Tyson and Tua will always have a shot at the division bc they bring skills that are rare and do make it up for their lack of size. Of course, at some point these skills erode, then the lack of size becomes a major issue.
as long as the klits are around, you're at a big disadvantage if your 6'3 or under. size does matter and if other attributes are similar it will usually determine the outcome. given the rise in good hw's over 6'4 in the past 15-20 years, it reasonable to conclude that there's gonna be more and more of them
I just happen to remember a guy that was 6'1 who defeated a man that was 6'7 about the size of the Klitchkos and that man was Dempsey. Sure Jess Willard was no Klitchko, but Jack got the job done, by TKO. I believe its being dedicated and smart more than anything.After watching last night, I believe pressure is the way to defeat the Klitchkos. Most fighter fight them as Areola did. Standing on the outside and getting picked off. When he pressured him, he had some success. Areola was out of shape so he couldn't sustain pressure, thats where dedication to training would have helped he was 250lbs! Look at Dwight Muhammad Qawi he's listed at 5'5 1/2 and he fought with success at cruiserweight. I believe that you have to have some size of course, but I believe its more than just being 6'4 and muscular, Tim Sylvia (former UFC fighter at 6'8 and well over the 200lbs mark was Ko'ed in the first round by Ray Mercer so that kills the size theory)
Yes, and no. Yes, when you look at guys like Bowe, Golota, Lewis, Klitschkos. And then there are guys like Tyson, Holyfiled, Haye, and now Adamek moving up.
Come on, lets stop with the stereotyping. In reality, the average Eastern European is rather short (I am an Eastern European myself). The only exception to that would be Dinaric Serbs, but they are a tiny population. If a tall populace made for great HW boxing champs, we'd all be watching Dutch fighters (the Netherlands boasts the tallest male population in the world). Cold temperatures leads to stronger bodies....come on, lets stop the Ivan Drago nonsense already..
No. Trevor Berbick came out and tried to mix it up with Tyson. He came out aggressive, and he got blasted out. Berbick was big, durable, and a powerful man. Bonecrusher tried, but he realized he was too slow to trade bombs with Tyson. Bonecrusher, for all his faults, was a big, strong man. Later in Tyson's career, Ruddock tried to war with Tyson, and he didn't do what Buster did. RUddock was a huge puncher and a big guy.
think in terms of Willard/ Dempsey the right 6'1" man has to come along and then we wouldnt be talking about height at heavy.
How did that Eddie Chambers do against Dimitrenko ? I guess all of you also don't think Muhammad Ali would be champion today too.
Unfortunately the tall Dutch are all in kickboxing. Tall people with decent coordination are just as rare as the Mike Tysons on this planet. Look at Tyson Fury for instance, uppercutting himself on the nose
A 6'1 fighter with skills would win the title...say a 220 guy with Roy Jones ability...could grab a title...
It´s not about being big. Imagine if the klitschkos wouldn´t be around, the HW champ would not be another 6`6 guy like Jameel McCline or Lance Whitaker or Michael Grant. The Klitschko and Lennox were exceptions from the rule.
Skill will ultimately win the day, but a precedent of sorts is being set by the big, tall guys who are athletic. Perhaps they are the exception, but we've had three in the last ten years, and they have been dominant forces in the division. (Four if Bowe could have stayed motivated.) We will have to see how things pan out once the Klitschko's hang them up. If another 6'6" heavyweight comes along not long after and dominates, I might be convinced. I do think though, that the smaller, technical guys will be forced to fight at cruiser. I mean Jersey Joe Walcott, a fighter I rate very highly on a technical level, just wouldn't be able to compete with the giants and the jab and grab styles employed by the big men today. The size difference is just too great. Of course, Joe fought at about 190 pounds and the average guy today is a fair bit bigger, but the point remains. What bothers me is that we're slowly seeing great technique vanishing in favour of a limited skill set that works if you're big enough (and good enough) to use it. Yes, Vitali and Wlad do have technique, that's obvious, but the style they use is actually a very simple one; one that works because they're massive men. Infighting is becoming a dying art, and that's a shame. Tyson and Holyfield were the last vestiges of the smaller, technically excellent guy. While I would love to see a 215 pound version of Joe Louis come up through the ranks, I don't see that happening anytime soon.