why do people seem to think big heavyweights have never existed before this century?

[DuckAdonis]

Size doesn't mean **** if you don't have the skills. Just look at Valuev vs Haye for example. The big stuff idiot got beat...just as Ustinov vs Hunter last night.

Miller would get knocked the **** out by a Fraizer

[Zaryu]

Lennox, the Klitshcko's and even Bowe were all taller fighters that kept opponents away with a stiff jab. Being fat isn't why people say the oldies wouldn't win. It is because they would have serious trouble getting close enough to land their shots.

Mike Tyson and Joe Frazier are the only two smaller heavies who could close the distance with superb head movement and then unleash their ko power. And they never fought someone who was 6'7 who fought the style of this century's top heavyweights. (Except of course Tyson-Lewis, but that doesn't really count.)

Yeah, height is one of the main issues here, even though in reality we're talking about the whole package, which usually includes height and weight.

We need to keep in mind Holyfield was able to compete with both Bowe and Lewis, two truly great big men, yet some people around here think better fighters than Holyfield wouldn't be able to overcome less talented big men.

You don't necessarily need a bob and weave style to overcome height and a jab. Look at how Mikey Garcia nullified Robert's height and reach without turning into a bob and weave fighter.

[Tony Trick-Pony]

I agree. Many posters no little or nothing of boxing history. Giant boxers have always been around and two of them won the heavyweight title. Jess Willard was the heavyweight champion from 1915 to 1919 and he was 6 ft. 6 inches and 250 pounds. He was slaughtered by 185 pound Jack Dempsey and knocked down 7 times in the first round. Primo Carnera was the heavyweight champion in 1934 and he was 6 ft. 6 inches and 260 pounds of rock hard muscle. He was slaughtered by normal sized 210 pound Max Baer. Some of the best and most famous heavyweight champs like Dempsey 185, Marciano 185, Louis 200, Liston 214, Ali 210, Foreman 214 and Frazier 205 were small to average sized heavyweights. They had the speed, skill, stamina, punch and chin to be great in any era and do well against the largest giant heavyweights.

Sometimes I wonder if the invention of the cruiserweight class has had an impact on all of this. If we went back to no cruiser division, then every fighter above 175 would be in the same division. Not saying the big boys wouldn't be doing as well, but ever since the cruiser's been around, champions have been steadily getting bigger.

[Vegemil]

bigger sure, and the bigger guys of today where much better that sloths like willard.

Better overall in boxing as a whole ? Does anyone favour mayweather over a prime robinson?

As for feats in other sports, it is simply steroids usage to be honest.

Some experts reckon that without the modern shoes and tracks and stuff like that , that Usain Bolts speed is in reality only a tiny tiny fraction more than that of jessie owens

weightlifting in the Olympics actually reset the weight classes, that is the only reason that a lot of world and olympic lifts get recorded today
they had to do it as any amount of juice was allowed previously

In my original post I was just talking about the heavyweight divison. You see how ridiculous it is that these people are saying with better nutrition, training, genetics hw boxers are getting worse.