“FREE THINKER” LEO MAKES YOU THINK ONCE AGAIN!
Ogdensburg, NY-Yes, size does matter, but what should you measure is the question? Which dimension is the more telling? James Toney was born August 24, 1968. I’ve no idea what he weighed that day, but by October 26, 1988, when he joined the pro ranks at age twenty he had grown to 160 lbs., a good solid middleweight. Nearly four years later, and twenty-four years old, on August 29, 1992 “Lights Out” entered the ring for his 34th time, facing for the second time, Mike “The Body Snatcher” McCallum. Yes, that’s right, 34 fights in less than four years. That’s when fighters walked, not talked while they fought once or twice a year. The unbeaten Toney weighed in at 160 lbs. for the last time on that occasion.
TRY PICKING ON SOMEONE YOUR OWN SIZE
On October 1, 2005, at age 37, James Toney weighed a career high of 235 lbs., or 75 pounds heavier than in his middleweight days, which had ended some thirteen years previously. Whether the Nandrolone he tested positive for after the match, aided, hindered, or little affected his performance is debatable, but regardless he did beat John Ruiz (41-5-1, 28 KO’s) a 241 lb. heavyweight on that occasion. There is an interesting question that can be asked here. Were they really of equal stature due to their weight similarity?
WHAT SIZE ARE YOU, ANYWAY?
The greatest American dance team ever was undoubtedly Fred Astaire and his dancing partner Ginger Rogers. When asked about them, Bob Thaves was quoted, “Sure he was great, but don’t forget Ginger Rogers did everything he did backwards…and in high heels!” That is similar to Ruiz versus Toney. It could be argued that a middleweight Toney, too undisciplined to control his weight, did everything the heavyweight Ruiz did, and more. It wasn’t enough that he beat the much larger man, but he did it while carrying that 75-pound weight handicap throughout the entire match.
TONEY BEAT RUIZ, WHO BEAT…
Is James “Lights Out” Toney, and by the way Roy Jones Jr., really that good, or is the “Quiet Man” that bad? Say what you want, Johnny Ruiz beat Andrew Golota (38-4-1), Fres Oquendo (24-2), Hasim Rahman (35-4-1), Kirk Johnson (32-0-1) and Evander Holyfield (37-4-1). If we concede that possibly even these guys were not the elite of the heavyweight division, at least their combined record is 166-14-4, and that isn’t all that bad. Where did the idea come from that all boxers have to win every fight, in order not to be a bum anyway?
SO WHAT DOES THIS ACTUALLY MEAN?
Of course, the facts as set out in the preceding paragraphs don’t really prove anything. It could be said that what aided Toney the most was the usage of an illicit drug. It is nearly impossible to prove one way or the other whether that is true or not. Not whether he used the drug or not, but whether it aided or hindered him, or neither. The answer is merely speculation. Another way to look at their match would be to believe this is an aberration, the rarity, facts befitting only one person in one set of circumstances, or at least to only a limited few. Yet another possibility could be that maybe weight isn’t as much a discriminating factor as most think it is.
AN OBVIOUS SIZE DIFFERENCE, COULD PAC KO RUIZ?
Just for something to think about, how about this one? Manny Pacquaio can hit hard enough to knock out a man with one punch. Let’s assume John Ruiz, for instance, could be knocked out with one punch. Logically, Manny Pacquaio can knock out Ruiz, who can be knocked out with one punch. Why isn’t that a fair fight? Our normal reaction is to think that Ruiz is immensely heavier than Pacquaio making it unfair, yet if Pacquaio can knock out Ruiz with one punch, and he is capable of throwing that punch, then why is it unfair? Probably for several reasons, might be a correct answer. Pacquaio might not be tall enough to hit Ruiz in a legally vulnerable area. Ruiz’s reach is seventy-eight inches versus Pacquaio’s sixty-seven inches, so Pacquaio would find it very difficult to get near enough to throw his knock out punch. It is probable that Ruiz, due to his size, can hit several times harder than the Pacman, but anything beyond enough to knock out his opponent is overkill, and is similar to a country having three times enough bombs to wipe out the entire world. What good are they?
IN THE CASE OF AN OBVIOUS WEIGHT DISPARITY
Between the two boxers, there is obviously a big difference in weight, but is that the biggest disparity, or does the reach or height offer up a larger advantage? A weight advantage doesn’t necessarily give more punching power. Even if it did, is more than enough power to knock out an opponent an advantage? For the man with more power, even a glancing blow might be enough to knock out an opponent, but that isn’t necessarily the heavier man.
SOMETHING CLOSER TO REALITY YOU SAY?
Let’s look at everyone’s favorite fighter, Floyd Mayweather Jr. Probably given a short while to prepare for the match, he could fight, and stand a very good chance of winning, anywhere from 130-154 lbs. Now I ask you, if he were in a 154 lb. match, is he, like Toney, actually a 130 lb. fighter carrying a 24 lb. handicap, but still able to perform remarkably well? If so, is our present weight division system a mockery of reality?
Leo Lawton
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Posted By Reylan on 31 January, 2006 Leo, you have to understand the Physics behind the reason why size (weight) really matters… I know you already do, by anyway, let me state my cents-worth opinion…
In physics, there is what we call momentum or in layman’s terms measure of movement: a quantity that expresses the motion of a body and its resistance to slowing down. It is equal to the product of the body’s mass and velocity. I’m sure your physics teacher taught you about inertia too… Newton’s 1st law of motion is about that. The greater the mass, the bigger the inertia. Correspondingly the momentum is likewise greater if we are to compare two different objects having the same velocity.
Back to boxing, Pacman and Ruiz could be used as perfect examples to this physics lesson. Pacman’s arms (and body) weigh considerably lighter compared to that of Ruiz. The speed at which a punch at an instant just before the glove hits the opponent would somehow vary a bit, with Pac maybe a bit faster than that of Ruiz. But the impact is measured in terms of momentum which is the product of mass and velocity… Thus, without further explanation, I believe it is understood that size really does matter.
