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"A good Big Man beats a good Little Man" Why?

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    "A good Big Man beats a good Little Man" Why?

    This addage gets kicked around quite a bit. We discussed the addage about styles and fights, why not discuss this addage? What does it imply? Why does it seem to hold true?

    On a general level there is not much to discuss: If two armies meet at a crossroads, and virtually ALL factors about them are hypothetically equal, except one army has an additional advantage, logic tells us that there is a greater chance for the army with the advantage to win...

    The problem is, this situation never truly exists, and intangibles can offer more of a factor than an advantage: For example, the Mongol Japanese battles are fascinating. Interestingly enough we had two forces that both had a somewhat equal chance of persevering. But it became irrelevant when the "Kamakazie" divine wind, affected the Mongol ships.

    On a specific level why does a good big man win?

    1) Reach. Overlooked and very telling advantage. Anyone who has ever fought knows that reach can be a real biatch. I can well remember using reach when I fought, and having to overcome it as well... Usually bigger means more reach.

    2) Strength. Usually bigger means stronger. But strengh is interesting because it does not always depend on size, rather size gives an initial advantage... lets look at the fight between Foster and Joe Frazier as an example. Both guys look to be around the same basic size. Foster even had reach over Joe, and some would argue, a punch every bit the match of Frazier's.

    Yet when we get down to it, despite the weight... Frazier is just a bigger sized individual. Bigger bones, muscles... wrists, neck, etc. This fight could be an example of how strength became a material advantage for Frazier.

    Discuss. What is it about size that determines a material advantage in the ring? would you rather have size, or reach?

    #2
    Reach and size are only as effective as the fighter who knows how to use them. You can also be very good at using those advantages, but if your smaller opponent is skilled at overcoming those disadvantages they beat you ever time. Hearns/Leonard comes to mind. Two great fighters, Hearns had size and reach advantage, but Leonard had the skills required to neutralize those advantages.

    Ernie Terrell was a good HW, and tall at 6'6". He didn't know how to use his size or reach advantage.

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      #3
      Ali got beat by Frazier, Frazier got beat by Foreman, Foreman got beat by Ali. They call their era Golden.

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        #4
        Originally posted by GhostofDempsey View Post
        Reach and size are only as effective as the fighter who knows how to use them. You can also be very good at using those advantages, but if your smaller opponent is skilled at overcoming those disadvantages they beat you ever time. Hearns/Leonard comes to mind. Two great fighters, Hearns had size and reach advantage, but Leonard had the skills required to neutralize those advantages.

        Ernie Terrell was a good HW, and tall at 6'6". He didn't know how to use his size or reach advantage.
        Yes. It goes without saying... You can give ten million dollars to someone like Broner and he would be broke next month... there are some people you could give ten dollars to, and they would have ten million dollars!

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          #5
          Originally posted by Marchegiano View Post
          Ali got beat by Frazier, Frazier got beat by Foreman, Foreman got beat by Ali. They call their era Golden.
          It was rare... Hard to find an era where there were so many tough hombres in the division.

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            #6
            Originally posted by GhostofDempsey View Post
            Reach and size are only as effective as the fighter who knows how to use them. You can also be very good at using those advantages, but if your smaller opponent is skilled at overcoming those disadvantages they beat you ever time. Hearns/Leonard comes to mind. Two great fighters, Hearns had size and reach advantage, but Leonard had the skills required to neutralize those advantages.

            Ernie Terrell was a good HW, and tall at 6'6". He didn't know how to use his size or reach advantage.
            Another guy who doesn't know how to use his reach advantage is Robert Easter

            Easter is taller and longer than Spence but Mikey out jabbed him, walked him down, and knocked him down.

            But Spence easily outboxed Mikey and kept him at length.

            What was the difference?

            I guess skill and power?

            Easter did not have the power to keep Garcia honest but Spence did. Mikey felt every jab, every straight to the body and straight to the head, every hook to the body, etc.

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              #7
              Originally posted by Doubledagger View Post
              Another guy who doesn't know how to use his reach advantage is Robert Easter

              Easter is taller and longer than Spence but Mikey out jabbed him, walked him down, and knocked him down.

              But Spence easily outboxed Mikey and kept him at length.

              What was the difference?

              I guess skill and power?

              Easter did not have the power to keep Garcia honest but Spence did. Mikey felt every jab, every straight to the body and straight to the head, every hook to the body, etc.
              Good example. Postol was another one.

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                #8
                I think your natural size matters in many ways. But the main thing is the natural size aspect of it all. The smaller guy coming up is less used to his body at this bigger weight, he's less used to being hit by the bigger guy & his punch is likely to be less effective vs bigger guys. That's why a good big man beats a good lil man more times than not.

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                  #9
                  Through history take the top welter vs the top lightweight and see who wins 9/10 times.Top middle 160 vs 175 .Thats what it’s about not two guys who weigh the same in the same division.I knew a couple guys genuine bad asses at about 185 or so whipped half ass big guys all the time and seen their doom when they went up vs guys 215 to 220 who were bad asses in a larger scale.don’t have to tell you who won.

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                    #10
                    Originally posted by Eff Pandas View Post
                    I think your natural size matters in many ways. But the main thing is the natural size aspect of it all. The smaller guy coming up is less used to his body at this bigger weight, he's less used to being hit by the bigger guy & his punch is likely to be less effective vs bigger guys. That's why a good big man beats a good lil man more times than not.
                    The very notion of natural size is interesting. People have habits. Habits lead to people assuming a certain "walk around" weight. We know from nutrition that protein rich diets do not cause weight gain. In this country for many generations people ate thick steaks, big burgers... and were relatively thin in relation to people today who eat a lot more sugar, fat, and are more sedentary. So a man's walk around weight would be different.

                    Start vid at 12:00 ...Look at the size of that steak! A typical dinner circa 1948 and that beef has a fat content twice what something like Angus beef does! Look at the relative size of the steak compared to the starch... this is what people ate... lol.

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