Which is more difficult to become: The youngest or oldest heavyweight champion?

Discussion in 'Classic Boxing Forum' started by Ironfox222, Feb 10, 2024.


which?

  1. Youngest

    18 vote(s)
    47.4%
  2. Oldest

    20 vote(s)
    52.6%
  1. Dubblechin

    Dubblechin Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    45 is old for a fighter. Really old. Foreman's win was amazing. The fact that he was still winning at close to 50 is even more amazing.

    No one is likely to ever break either record, truthfully.

    But we're talking about heavyweights. Not 140 pounders.

    Fighting grown men who weigh 140 pounds (when you're a teenager) is different than fighting grown men who are 220 pounds+ when you are a teenager.

    Even Patterson started as a scrawny guy barely above middleweight and fought a light heavyweight for the vacant heavyweight title.

    Mike Tyson holds the record at heavyweight. He won the WBC heavyweight title at 20. He had 27 pro fights at the weight before winning the WBC belt.

    The chances of a teenager being ranked in the top 10 at heavyweight, qualifying for a heavyweight title shot, getting one and winning in this era of big heavyweights is practically zero.

    There are ten times as many boxers who are in their 40s in the boxrec top 200 than there are teenagers.

    The number of teenagers in the top 200 heavyweights on boxrec total TWO.

    Hell, a 42-year-old Kubrat Pulev will likely win the WBA "regular" belt this year in Bulgaria against Charr (who also turns 40 this year).

    I don't see any teenagers at heavyweight fighting for anything. And I don't see any on the way.

    But a lot of established heavyweights (Zhang, Joyce, Usyk, Fury, etc.) are getting up there in age, and they aren't exactly worn out with close to 80 pro fights under their belts, like Big George.
     
    Last edited: Feb 13, 2024
    Paul McB likes this.
  2. KasimirKid

    KasimirKid Well-Known Member Full Member

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    I think it is more likely that the next fighter to break these barriers will be the youngest champion rather than the oldest, at least as long as you are talking about the most important "belt" in the division as it is generally recognized at the time rather than a fringe championship
     
  3. Eddie Ezzard

    Eddie Ezzard Boxing Addict Full Member

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    For me, Tyson winning at 20 against Berbick then taking on Bonecrusher, Pink, Tucker, Biggs, comebacking Holmes and Tubbs - all while being younger than Floyd was when he beat 40something light heavy in Archie Moore - is beyond compare.

    It trumps Foreman winning the title at 45 on a one-off when he had the perfect smaller opponent and got lucky with one shot. But he was far from the world's best heavyweight. He had just lost to Morrison and should have lost to Schulz in his next fight. There were a handful of heavies who could beat him.

    At 20 Tyson was the best heavyweight on the planet. Most heavies are still in the amateurs at that age. Most heavies aren't even heavies at that age. It's ridiculously young for a top heavyweight. Tyson was a freak.

    It wouldn't surprise me if Foreman's record got broken. The dross at heavyweight now, anything is possible. Seriously, if I fell asleep for a year and, when I woke up, you told me Lennox Lewis had made a comeback and won the title back, I wouldn't be surprised.
     
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  4. Ney

    Ney Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    Feb 13, 2024
    I’d have to disagree. Fighting at 20 is a hell of a lot easier than at 45. I’m turning 40 in six weeks, quite active (fitter than most my age), & even without the rigours of Boxing, I can feel myself slowing down here & there.
     
  5. Ney

    Ney Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    Perhaps that’ll be a thread for another day - whether Foreman’s record or Benitez’s is more impressive.
     
  6. George Crowcroft

    George Crowcroft He Who Saw The Deep Full Member

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    Youngest.

    If a fighter misses his window, he'll never get another shot at it. If a fighter is shooting for the oldest heavyweight, there's virtually always still time.
     
  7. Dubblechin

    Dubblechin Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    Of course, being young and fighting is better than being old and fighting.

    However, winning the heavyweight championship at 20 or younger brings more challenges than just 'how you feel.'

    To get a heavyweight title shot at 20 AND WIN IT means you have to be world ranked first.

    To be world ranked means you need some experience as a pro first that qualifies you for a ranking.

    So you need to turn pro at heavyweight in your teens and you need to be on a pretty fast track to the top.

    To break Tyson's record, you also likely have to WIN the title in your first crack at it.

    Winning a title in your 40s may 'physically' be more difficult, but the org's rules (compared to a teenager) are more in your favor.

    You also can fail a few times first.

    In the case of Foreman, it was his FOURTH title shot. (He won the first in his 20s. He lost to Evander and Morrison in his 40s.)

    When you're a former champ, like Foreman was, you can also petition for a title shot and not even be ranked. It's one of the perks of being a former champ. Young fighters in their teens who have never won anything can't do that.

    And, while George was slow and older, Moorer was a former light heavyweight champ who moved up and won it from a guy who was a former cruiserweight champ. George had size, power and weight advantages over Moorer.

    I don't see any former light heayweight champions moving up and winning the heavyweight title anymore.

    I can see any number of fighters like Zhang hanging around and hanging around another five years, and scoring a shock win, and getting a title shot. It'll be even easier for him if he is elevated to the full WBO belt before then.

    Zhang also doesn't have that many pro fights (28) to begin with. It's not like he's got 80 fights and he's had the tar beaten out of him. Same with Joyce.

    There are any number of 40 year olds in the alphabet orgs ratings.

    On the flip side, I don't see too many teenagers fighting at heavyweight who are rated anywhere. (Amateur or pro.)
     
    HistoryZero26 likes this.
  8. Ney

    Ney Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    I was only considering this from the age perspective. Good points on the politics & I think you’ve won me over taking in a wider scope of the situation.

    I will disagree on one minor point, I think Foreman was at a disadvantage with that weight vs Moorer. I’ve been everywhere in weight as an adult from 77kgs (170lbs) to 130kg (286), & I can’t help but think no man is ever benefitting from Foreman’s weight in athletics. Yes it would add weight to his shots & help him in the clinch but he didn’t need any more power & lost big in cardio & reflexes.