Why heavyweights are bigger today

[Expug]

I can see a real good heavyweight champ in the 215 to 220 range .
Remember for a fighter that weight is a little deceptive.
A guy that weight coming into the ring will be strong and powerful.
He is a CONDITIONED 215 or 220 ,
It aint the same as a regular Joe at that weight.
The fighter could also be much bigger minus all the cardio.
If ya stand next to a well trained heavyweight who is at this weight, you are standing next to a big guy.

[Big Bad John]

Look at some of the best heavyweights of the 1990s: David Tua, Razor Ruddock, Evander Holyfield, Mike Tyson... almost all of them were around 215 or 220 when they were at their best. They just got fat.

[telboy66]

basically they are just greedy bastards

[dempseyfire]

Question for Dempseyfire, The Great John L, and Ambling Alp. Do you guys expect there to be a dominant heavyweight who weighs 215 or under, within the next 10 years ?

Along with John L, I don't expect there to be any dominant Heavyweights. But I believe the majority of belt-holders will be guys 5'11-6'3 who's ideal weight would be 200-215. Whether they come in chubby/overweight like Peter, Povetkin, Chagaev and the rest is anyone's guess.

Once Wlad topples again, I don't think you'll see another 'Super Heavyweight" (6'4 or taller, over 230 lbs) be the recognized top Heavyweight for a long time. All of the promising prospects coming up (Povetkin, Boystov, Chambers, Haye) and current champs other than Wlad (Peter, Chagaev) are guys who in top shape would not be more than 220, with all of them except Peter being 210 or below. In terms of body size/frame Povetkin, Boytsov, Haye, Chagaev are no bigger than Tommy Farr, Elmer Ray, and Ingo Johansson.

[The Great John L]

Along with John L, I don't expect there to be any dominant Heavyweights. But I believe the majority of belt-holders will be guys 5'11-6'3 who's ideal weight would be 200-215. Whether they come in chubby/overweight like Peter, Povetkin, Chagaev and the rest is anyone's guess.

Yes, 230+, but probably not a particularly fit bunch.

[Big Bad John]

Chagaev would be a better fighter if he trained himself down to 215 or 220. The old fighters used to do that because everyone would call them fat if they didn't train to make themselves look fit as well as fight well. The best example would be Rocky Marciano. He walked around at 215 or 220, and if he fought today, he would probably hit the ring at around that weight, simply because it's stylish for fighters to be a certain weight. I personally don't believe that would make him a better fighter.

Simply put, fighters today are training to be the weight that people think they should weigh.

[Robinson]

Marciano would most likely be fighting anywhere from 168-175lbs if he fought
today.

[wouter]

Marciano would most likely be fighting anywhere from 168-175lbs if he fought
today.

Only if Craig Bodzianowski were his idol.

[Robinson]

:)

[lukesfc]

Tyson best heavyweight of all time

Klitschko best heavyweight of the present..


???

[mrbassie]

Chagaev would be a better fighter if he trained himself down to 215 or 220. The old fighters used to do that because everyone would call them fat if they didn't train to make themselves look fit as well as fight well. The best example would be Rocky Marciano. He walked around at 215 or 220, and if he fought today, he would probably hit the ring at around that weight, simply because it's stylish for fighters to be a certain weight. I personally don't believe that would make him a better fighter.

Simply put, fighters today are training to be the weight that people think they should weigh.

Rocky Marciano came in at the weight that he did because he was fit as fornicate and that's why he could throw very hard punches almost non stop for fifteen rounds. Bring him to the present, train him the way it's being done at the moment and he'd be a short fat tired lump.
Heavyweights today are either not training hard enough or they're training incorrectly. You get these "new school" vs "old school" (moronic terms, I hate them) debates and everybody waffles on and compares statistics but, the evidence is right in front of our eyes that supposed scientific modern techniques are producing inferior results compared to the old fashioned way of doing things.

[Big Bad John]

Marciano would most likely be fighting anywhere from 168-175lbs if he fought
today.

This is why I'm not so fond of pound-for-pound lists. Being World Heavyweight Champion is a lot tougher than being champion at 168 or 175.

[dempseyfire]

Marciano was not a puffed up with water 187 . . he was ripped to the bone with extremely little fat on him after undergoing some of the most rigorous training in modern times. He would've passed out getting to 175.

[John Galt]

Of course Rocky couldn't have dried out like a modern boxer, wrestler, of MMA fighter, he was 185 pounds of 1940s-50s ROCK. Those boxers weren't human, they were super-human. No, if Rock was fighting today he would weigh 250-60 easy if he trained like these guys do and he still wouldn't be as fat as Evander Holyfield.
He ran 8 miles in the morning, worked out all day, walked 15 miles at night, never got tired, and could fight all night at the same pace. The rest of the world had to pay him to let them live.
You are welcome Dempsey,John L., Alp, etc. I just wrote this so that you wouldn't have to bother.

[Robinson]

Rocky was pretty damned fit for his time, but I am of the opinion that
he like say Floyd patterson and some of the smaller HW's of by gone
era's could these days and may perhaps chose to drop down to
anywhere from 168 to 175. I mean most of them are modern day
cruisers anyhow.

Most even started off at middleweight anyhow (Walcott, Charles, Patterson).


The training done these days is not to be over looked and alot of the
older methods have perhaps been 'forgotten' but many have been replaced
or revamped.

I fight LHW in MMA so I guess I am an old school HW, I have stood next to
some boxers and US pro fighters that fight anywhere from SMW to LHW and
these are not little men. Alot of these guys walk around and train at 220ish
and drop that weight, and then come back up around fight time.

This is how it is done these days whether it be wrestling, boxing or MMA.
Pro fighters especially Americans are frighteningly good at cutting weight,
its not an easy thing but they manage to do it.

In the past fighters walk around and fight at pretty much the same weight,
that is such a rarity these days.

As for modern HW being lazy and under trained...these men are still professional
prize fighters and while there performance is not as exciting as Frazier, patterson
or Louis they are still very athletic and talented men.

[dempseyfire]

You guys are right . . .why look like this



When you can look like this???




Must be all the nutrients . . .

[Robinson]

DF maybe he would look better if he won the title and
didnt defend it for 3 years....or drew a colour lin...
....hang about is that an african_american in the ring with a white man ???

I agree with you, that no good Slav is a good representation
of how dismal HW boxing has become.

What a belly on him....put up some pictures of Toney, Peter,
Butterbean, Page and Tubbs...always good for a fat guy fetishist.

[The Great John L]

As for modern HW being lazy and under trained...these men are still professional
prize fighters and while there performance is not as exciting as Frazier, patterson
or Louis they are still very athletic and talented men.

Any thoughts on why, in general, their stamina is so bad? Or do you think that most of the top HWs today have very good stamina?

[zslayton]

As for modern HW being lazy and under trained...these men are still professional
prize fighters and while there performance is not as exciting as Frazier, patterson
or Louis they are still very athletic and talented men.

Any thoughts on why, in general, their stamina is so bad? Or do you think that most of the top HWs today have very good stamina?

I think bad stamina is a combination of things. A lack of heart or pride is one of them. Another is their muscle fiber make up. Another could be once you get hit hard you might get tired. Bad nerves could sap their energy. Carrying around more mass could have something to do with it, whether it is fat or muscle.

[Ezzard]

They are also training for 12 and not 15.

[p4p1]

They are also training for 12 and not 15.

thank god... i couldnt watch the current HW's go for 15 i cant even watch them for 12 most of the time

[The Great John L]

They are also training for 12 and not 15.

thank god... i couldnt watch the current HW's go for 15 i cant even watch them for 12 most of the time

I think most would probably collapse sometime before the 15th round started.

[mrbassie]

They are also training for 12 and not 15.

and their stamina's still crap.

[p4p1]

They are also training for 12 and not 15.

thank god... i couldnt watch the current HW's go for 15 i cant even watch them for 12 most of the time

I think most would probably collapse sometime before the 15th round started.

could be interesting

[The Great John L]

I think most would probably collapse sometime before the 15th round started.

could be interesting

Actually, they would probably just fight at a slower pace than they do now in order to conserve energy for the championship rounds. It would probably be painful to watch.