How do you think short heavyweights with exceptional reaches like Larry Holmes, Max Baer, Buster Douglas, Sonny Liston, Hasim Rahman, George Godfrey, Razor Ruddock, Earnie Shavers, Ken Norton, Cleveland Williams and Bert Cooper would do in the modern superheavyweight era ?
Will their reach allow them to compete ? Or will height and weight prove to be insurmountable ?
If you compare Vitali Klitschko to Buster Douglas, he's giving up a full 4 inches of reach ! Would this allow Douglas to keep him at end of his jab or will Vitali be able to overcome this by leaning. Or will Vitali have to fight him on the inside and swarm him ?
To scale things up, will Primo Carnera's reach advantage over Valuev come into play if they were to fight ? Could Carnera potentially jab him to death, Will Valuev have to bob and weave into close range ? (The mental image is hilarious !)
How will Wilder handle being out-ranged by Sonny Liston, or will he lean in and out-reach Sonny ?
Would Wlad be troubled when his customary reach advantage is absent against Max Baer ?
Will Riddick Bowe be troubled by the reach of Razor Ruddock ?
How will Dillian Whyte react when Bert Cooper hits him from a range at which he can't hit him back ?
How do you see a fight like this play out ? Who'll control range, who'll have to be the aggressor and in-fight ? Will the taller boxer be able to make up reach by leaning or will that leave his chin exposed for a KO blow ?
You remember how DC went up to HW on the UFC and knocked out the most titles defense's champ in history ON THE FEET? Yet he was way smaller a man in height and reach....yet the big guy can't throw a jab (LOL, poor skill). Same in boxing.
Fury ain't even a special boxer, notice people only credit him for being fast 'for a big guy'? It's the boxing establishment's/promoters' job to convince us we are living in the best era, and they do a good job of convincing many people.
Well look at Andy Ruiz.he has short fat arms short body and got the job done.iron Mike didn't have long arms either.you just gotta get inside and have alot of power