The average size of the undisputed, undefeated heavyweight champion of the world

From the beginning to about floyd Patterson's, heavyweights were around 190-200 lbs. The first modern heavyweight champions was sonny liston and Ali who were around 220 lbs First super heavyweight champion was riddick bowe 1990s ff - -Walking you back, Jess Willard and Primo Carnera in the 6-6 to 6-7 range and 240-270 range decades before Big Dummy was ever hatched. Joe Louis size mirrored Ali. Yer welcome!

I’ve talked about it before, I can’t believe how fighters are not measured for height by a commission in front of everyone each fight. We make so much of weight. But I’ve seen different listed heights for the same fighter at various times. I didn’t think Ruiz was 6’3” when I saw him at the first presser v AJ. But I haven’t seen AJ measured either. There’s so much money at stake ud think fans and bettors would have a right to get an accurate height. I saw Ruiz on YouTube today doing a pizza taste test. I don’t think he looked 6’3” but I don’t know if he’s sub 6ft though. We should know these things for sure. I will say he didn’t look to be overly heavy. We live in a great time if world class athletes are doing pizza taste tests !

Ruiz is probably under 6 feet in actuality. I’ve talked about it before, I can’t believe how fighters are not measured for height by a commission in front of everyone each fight. We make so much of weight. But I’ve seen different listed heights for the same fighter at various times. I didn’t think Ruiz was 6’3” when I saw him at the first presser v AJ. But I haven’t seen AJ measured either. There’s so much money at stake ud think fans and bettors would have a right to get an accurate height. I saw Ruiz on YouTube today doing a pizza taste test. I don’t think he looked 6’3” but I don’t know if he’s sub 6ft though. We should know these things for sure. I will say he didn’t look to be overly heavy.

That was Dempsey19’s quote not mine. He responded to my talk of tall ( superheavyweights ) fighters having an advantage like u said. When they are all great they all have something to offer though. But like I posted I just imagine how good a 5’10” fighter would have to be to beat an elite tall and long fighter like Lennox consistently. He was responding to my post asking about 5’10” fighters with superheavyweight-esque reaches like Shavers and Cooper.

I mean ur right, there’s so many factors that go into making a top guy. I’m always impressed by any decent shorter heavyweight. But to be a lot shorter u must be bringing a lot of other attributes to the table. A lot of real tall guys are lacking in areas too. But yeah any HW whose been near the mountain top regardless of his height I’m prolly underestimating. Shavers had a sneaky chopping right hand that could hurt anyone. Smoking Cooper was just a plain tough strong fighter. These guys were still not champs though. I’ve seen Tua blow people away, was sure he was next champ. Missed barely on Lennox a few times, but then Lennox painted him with a right. Tua just couldn’t rush in after that. I don’t know who the shortest best HW is right now. I’d love to see a sub 6ft guy come along. But as of right now all the guys are pretty tall. Ruiz is probably under 6 feet in actuality.

Taller fighter still has the advantage because if he were to pull from a punch he can travel more distance. Same can be true for throwing forward and covering distance Look at wilder. It's tough to evade that right because when he hop steps and extends he can cover almost half the ring. That was Dempsey19’s quote not mine. He responded to my talk of tall ( superheavyweights ) fighters having an advantage like u said. When they are all great they all have something to offer though. But like I posted I just imagine how good a 5’10” fighter would have to be to beat an elite tall and long fighter like Lennox consistently.

But what about a 5’10” man with a long reach like Bert Cooper or Earnie Shavers ? (Both have about the same reach as Vitali) I mean ur right, there’s so many factors that go into making a top guy. I’m always impressed by any decent shorter heavyweight. But to be a lot shorter u must be bringing a lot of other attributes to the table. A lot of real tall guys are lacking in areas too. But yeah any HW whose been near the mountain top regardless of his height I’m prolly underestimating. Shavers had a sneaky chopping right hand that could hurt anyone. Smoking Cooper was just a plain tough strong fighter. These guys were still not champs though. I’ve seen Tua blow people away, was sure he was next champ. Missed barely on Lennox a few times, but then Lennox painted him with a right. Tua just couldn’t rush in after that. I don’t know who the shortest best HW is right now. I’d love to see a sub 6ft guy come along. But as of right now all the guys are pretty tall.

That's a whole lot of steps, even if they're simple, that Fitzs did not have to take. While this 190 has tummy cramps because he's holding a **** Bob's sipping sherry and feeling good. During Sully's era the name that most often regarded as the man he should have fought but didn't is Godfrey, the colored champion, who was not a big'un. Corbett and Fitzs are your next champions, hardly big dudes....maybe I missed your point but Sullivan's dominance alone does not equate to big men trouncing small men, it equates to Sullivan being dominant in his era. Small men surrounded him and took over after him. :lol1: I could be wrong but wasn't that the same time p4p was first used? Before the 190s were forced out you didn't see many 160s or 170s after Burns. That makes sense given the minimal for HW was 175 since 1920. And of course a 160 lber would never be allowed to try again. So is Willard really that good or did he get protected by the smaller pool of fighters? from Dempsey until the 60s the 185ers did just fine and are well represented. The minimal becomes 190 and like magic the new good small end of the division is 190s. 190 lingered but probably had the roughest time. I'd say when the 200+ was edging out the 190s is probably the strongest argument for good big men...because who do boxing fans have to rep the 190s in the 70s or 80s? Lucky to have Spinks I reckon...by memory. One could argue being big was cool in that era, it's the Arnold era in film and the explosion of things like Strong Man come from that era, but, I'm just saying you could make that argument not actually suggesting that's why Spinks is so lonely for sure. Then the new min becomes 200+ and several small men grab titles including a MW who made weight. Now here we are with 201 as the min and a champion who debuted at 207 and fights often at 215. The smaller end of the division's always done fine. It's been moved loads and forced the smaller end to be larger over time but I really don't see much argument for one demographic displacing the other without sanction bodies making it happen. It wasn't that long ago Haye gave up 99lbs to whoop Valuev ... because in all honesty being huge doesn't make you good and a whole demographic of huge and good is unheard of. Wlad was huge and good and smashed Haye. Nikolai was never very good, just huge, and got whooped. Could you imagine Wilder weighing in at 215 and fighting a 116? Haye took Valuev's belt though. Fun talk buds. My point is actually that 190 is plenty big. I do see where you are coming from. In his prime Billy Conn was the finest fighting machine on the planet. Andre Ward beat Clemente Russo who had no trouble beating both Usyk and Wilder. If Fitz had been prime when he fought Jeffries...

Today you have to be 200+. Does not mean a 190er can't beat the **** out of Fury, Wilder, and Ruiz while weighing 190. It means he's not allowed. Find me an era when they were allowed but failed. Doesn't exist. What does exist is an era where they were allowed and dominated....that's pretty powerful and there's a loooot of history on it. A 190 lber can easily put on water weight, weigh in with clothes/costume, not take a dump and weigh in above the 200 pound minimum at the weigh-in The man who began the domination of the big men and created the concept of a good big ‘un beats a good little ‘un - John L Sullivan, the first heavyweight, was 190 pounds in his prime so maybe 190 pounds is a big man.

Taller fighter still has the advantage because if he were to pull from a punch he can travel more distance. Same can be true for throwing forward and covering distance Look at wilder. It's tough to evade that right because when he hop steps and extends he can cover almost half the ring. That doesn’t seem like that huge an advantage.

But what about a 5’10” man with a long reach like Bert Cooper or Earnie Shavers ? (Both have about the same reach as Vitali) Taller fighter still has the advantage because if he were to pull from a punch he can travel more distance. Same can be true for throwing forward and covering distance Look at wilder. It's tough to evade that right because when he hop steps and extends he can cover almost half the ring.

Ignore three thousand years of history and focus on one division from the 80s. Sure bud. The evolution of humans isn't as linked to the sport of boxing as you seem to think. Survival was never about boxing ability. I understand what you're saying. The average is the average because it's the most successful evolutionary trait. That's not boxing though. A good big 'un beats a good little 'un.

But what about a guy over the 190 pound mark. Will he really be at a disadvantage ? But what about a 5’10” man with a long reach like Bert Cooper or Earnie Shavers ? (Both have about the same reach as Vitali)

But what about a guy over the 190 pound mark. Will he really be at a disadvantage ?[/QUOTE I’m 5’10” 215lbs lean. I’m not the strongest guy in the gym. But I’m fast and I can punch a bit. I’d do everything I could to make 175lbs not to fight a Lennox Lewis. No amount of weight will increase ur reach. I know it sucks to fight a guy who is 6’5” and is skilled. They tag u before u can even get to them. Marciano never fought a Vitali. Weight isn’t the same as size.

I’ve said it before, we watch fighters on the scale but nobody ever sees anyone measured for height or reach. Sometimes the numbers aren’t even consistent. Sum people still say Mike was 5’9” or 5’10”. Even at a lot of face offs the numbers don’t seem to add up. Nobody actually knows the height of anyone past or present because they never saw them measured under scrutiny. I was laser measured at a c hair over 5’10” but everyone shorter than me will tell me I must be 6ft. But what about a guy over the 190 pound mark. Will he really be at a disadvantage ?

I decided to do some math and find out what the average size of an undisputed, undefeated heavyweight champion was. The average undisputed and undefeated heavyweight champion of the world stands 6’0.5” inches tall, has a 74.5 inch reach and weighed 204 pounds when he won his title. That’s the size of Jack Johnson, alternatively that’s also the size of Marvis Frazier. Make of that what you will. If it weren’t for the reach, it would be Earnie Shavers (hardest hitting heavyweight ever), if it weren’t for the weight it would be Andy Ruiz Jr. (current heavyweight champion) and if it weren’t for the height it would be either Joe Frazier or a slightly out of shape John L Sullivan. I’ve said it before, we watch fighters on the scale but nobody ever sees anyone measured for height or reach. Sometimes the numbers aren’t even consistent. Sum people still say Mike was 5’9” or 5’10”. Even at a lot of face offs the numbers don’t seem to add up. Nobody actually knows the height of anyone past or present because they never saw them measured under scrutiny. I was laser measured at a c hair over 5’10” but everyone shorter than me will tell me I must be 6ft.

But what's the average size for the last 50 years? 6’1”, 76”, 213 pounds, hardly much bigger. And the weight is only really inflated by Bowe and Tyson being abnormally heavy when he won the title (221.5)

From the beginning to about floyd Patterson's, heavyweights were around 190-200 lbs. The first modern heavyweight champions was sonny liston and Ali who were around 220 lbs First super heavyweight champion was riddick bowe 1990s That stat is skewed and worthless Now feck off ali was not 220 lbs until he'd had his layoff. he did his best boxing without a doubt from around '62 to '67, and he was 205-211 lbs or so. prior to '62 he rarely, if ever IIRC, weighed above 200 lbs. in the olympics he fought at 178 lbs. likewise, liston did most of his best work at 210 lbs or so, and he supposedly did not train hard for clay, who he was supposed to destroy. unlike modern HW, incluyding both klitsckos who are on record saying they did no roadwork because it was bad for their knees, liston and ali would wake up in the morning and run. marciano ran 7-10 miles each day, totally unheard of for a modern HW. when he retired he put on about 50 lbs. i always bring this up in the history section when people talk abotu the "size" of modern HW. lamon brewster was almost exactly the same dimsnsions as joe louis. height, reach, bone structure, all of it. bewster, carrying around at least 10 lbs extra that would have dissappeared if he ran every day, knocked wladimir into next week. louis relied on accuracy, leverage, and using the ring. it's a heck of a lot more difficult than hugging when your opponent gets close. and finally, 200 lb HW were rare even in jack dempsey's era. most of the HW division was small enough to fight at 175 but went to HW because that's where all of the money was.

I like the idea of working out an average size buuuut why do they have to be undefeated? I like that they have to be undisputed or at least unified champs.

strange criteria. guys making it to the world title without a loss was extremly rare. you'll be discounting so many fighters who were champions but didn't fit your odd criteria.