Why do Marciano fans attempt to downplay Liston & Foreman?

The smallest guy to beat Wladimir Klitschko weighed 225 pounds and the smallest guy to beat Lennox Lewis weighed 231 pounds. Joshua's closest fight thus far was with a guy who weighed 240 pounds. None of these guys ever once lost to someone as small as Sonny Liston. Liston in his prime was never over 220.

 

These are the facts. There is no denying any of this is true. However, if a man as big as Wilder can weigh less than 220 when he so chooses and still win important fights against heavier men, what are we to make of all the other guys who competed at a higher poundage who are not necessarily as big as Deontay? Surly this is open to debate?

It is a fact however that 210 pound heavyweights took over from 190 pound heavyweights and that the 240 pounders, until Wilder anyway, took over from the 220 guys. You are quite right. This is the factual part of your point.

It is also factual that the 190lb heavyweights were given their own division after the 220 heavyweights began to dominate that championship. However the championship has been dominated by even bigger men for the last 20 years Meaning only the 24 hour weigh in rule has given the 220 heavyweight a home in the wrong division. Is any of this open to debate?

 

Lets see where Wilder takes us. He's undeniably in the mix and is one of the two best heavyweights on the planet.

Personally i think if Tyson come along right now he'd be a great chance of being the top dog.

 

That seems to me a very strange position to take, let alone to treat as forehead-slappingly obvious, since we have objective, thorough, utterly incontrovertible historical evidence that in many cases 190 pound guys most assuredly do have a chance against 220 pound guys. This is simply not debatable.

 

Knowing choklab's long-time stance on this subject, it was supposed to be a humorous comment directed at him (which he obviously understood)… but maybe I should leave the comedy to Boxed Ears in the future!

 

Anyway, the sub 200 pound guy to compete with these fighters has existed.
He was called Evander Holyfield.

 

It's a bit difficult to gauge the current state of the division since many of the top guys don't face each other. But hopefully we will see Wilder in with some other top guys soon. Joshua seems to be the best at present but perhaps one of the young up and cowers like Hrgovic, Dubois, or Yoka will pose a problem.

 

Ah. I suppose I should have inferred that there might a history and broader context there.

 

I utterly agree with this statement.

 

This size argument is way overblown...........most of those "big" guys 240-260 pound guys are just overweight, period. Riddick Bowe, by all means a legitimate BIG guy with serious skills, fought routinely at around 225 pounds and only become heavier when he got lazy, fact not fiction.

You can fault Frank Bruno for many things but nobody ever questioned Franks extraordinary strength, power or overall Superheavyweight size..........yet 5'10 220 pound not firing on all cylinders anymore Mike Tyson beat the living tar out of him in not a tactical fight but in a straight out brawling affair and Big Franks size or strength had zero impact in the clinch, head grappling/rabbit punching etc and Tyson man handled him with ease.

A once in a century talent like Tyson or Ali would wreck absolute havoc on the current heavyweight division........skills /God giving talent do pay the bills.