Heavyweight Boxing Tale of the Tape

[Ketho of Davenant]

Previously, I stated that the best fighters seem to be in the 5'10" to 6'2"
range. I made this comment about fighters in general and used heavyweight
boxers in particular as examples. Gichoke and Frank Benn disagreed. Gichoke, as
per the course, made claims about heavyweight boxers that didn't seem right, so
I searched the web and found the following info.

The following info was extracted from the VERY detailed stats provided at:

http://sportsline.netscape.com/u/boxing/1999/holylew/heavytales.htm

Check it out, it was very cool.

Things to notice:
1) the average height DOES tend to increase over the years,
2) 6'2" - 6'3" seem to occur the most
3) Rocky Marciano's stats might surprize you.
4) Gichoke pumped up Dempsey a bit.
5) Ali was taller than I remembered.
6) Look at the top 6 fighters in the last 30 years, more than half were 6'2" or
less.

Of course, people will dissemble till the cows come home about these numbers,
but this is, afterall, rec.martial-arts. ;)
The data are interesting though and the link listed above provides much much
more details than I extracted here.

====================================================

Tales of the Tape

The Heavyweight Champions of the World

Jack Dempsey
6-0ž
187

Gene Tunney
6-0˝
189˝

Max Schmeling
6-1
188

Jack Sharkey
6-0
205

Primo Carnera
6-5ž
260

Max Baer
6-2˝
193

Jimmy Braddock
6-1˝
197

Joe Louis
?
?

Ezzard Charles
6-0
181ž

Jersey Joe Walcott
6-0
194

Rocky Marciano
5-10ź
184

Floyd Patterson
6-0
182ž

Ingemar Johansson
6-0˝
196

Sonny Liston
6-1
214

Muhammad Ali
6-3
210˝

Joe Frazier
5-11˝
205

George Foreman
6-3
217ž

Leon Spinks
6-2
196

Ken Norton
6-3
215˝

Larry Holmes
6-3˝
209

John Tate
6-4
240

Mike Weaver
6-1
207

Michael Dokes
6-3
216

Gerrie Coetzee
6-2˝
215

Tim Witherspoon
6-3
220ź
Pinklon Thomas
6-3
216
Greg Page
6-3
236
Tony Tubbs
6-3
230

Michael Spinks
6-2˝
200

Trevor Berbick
6-2˝
200

Mike Tyson
5-11˝
218

Bonecrusher Smith
6-4
230

Tony Tucker
6-5
225

Buster Douglas
6-4
231

Evander Holyfield
6-2
215

Riddick Bowe
6-5
230

Lennox Lewis
6-5
245

Michael Moorer
6-2
225

Oliver McCall
6-2
225

George Foreman
6-4
250

Bruce Seldon
6-1
233

Frank Bruno
6-3
230

Courtesy International Boxing Hall of Fame
=========================================================

Ketho

"To search for the old is to understand the new."