Why has Wilder become so light?

[HI SCOTT NEWMAN]

Hey guys, so last 4 days I had some time off work and some downtime and I was watching some of Wilders older fights, mainly around 2013/2014/2015, and I noticed the ring announcer introduced him at 231 Ibs, then other fight it was 229.5 Ibs, and watching the fight he was so lean with probably 0% body fat. So its not like he was carrying anything extra, even at 231 he looked ripped and so lean, looks like you couldn't get a pound of fat off him if you tried your hardest.

So whats with the weight loss? why has he become so light?, I was shocked to hear he was 209 Ibs for the Fury fight. He weighed in at 212, but according to him in these videos, he weighed himself on the night of the fight and was 209 for the fight. Do you think he has become too light??. I noticed how slim he was looking in the fight and his back looks much smaller now. He seems to be getting smaller and smaller with each fight, he will end up being Atomweight in a few years if this continues lol

1:15 minute.


0:20 minute

 

[Badr Hari]

I recently watched his fight with Kelvin Price. He was 224 for that one. He was 214 against Ortiz. I can't see any difference physically tbh. I think Wilder realized weight doesn't mean much in boxing. Technique and explosive strength is what produce power in his case. Being lighter makes him more mobile.

 

[JayE]

I don't see how any more bulk helps a guy like Wilder. He's got freak power regardless of what he weighs in at, and having less excess muscle helps with his speed and stamina.

 

[aries]

I don't know. Did the weight loss hurt his punching power against Fury and was that why Fury survived? It would be real interesting to hear from Wilder himself why he's been dropping the weight. The way he dropped Fury though looked like he still carried his power with him even at a lighter weight.

 

[isyck1337]

One word.
SPEED.

Power equals mass times velocity. Most heavyweights go for mass to gain power, he goes for speed.

 

[reveler]

hes had multiple calf reductions

 

[aries]

One word.
SPEED.

Power equals mass times velocity. Most heavyweights go for mass to gain power, he goes for speed.

I hate to be that guy but as an engineer I don't like to see disinformation. Mass times Velocity equals Momentum. However, Power is the product of Force times Velocity.

 

[HI SCOTT NEWMAN]

I don't know. Did the weight loss hurt his punching power against Fury and was that why Fury survived? It would be real interesting to hear from Wilder himself why he's been dropping the weight. The way he dropped Fury though looked like he still carried his power with him even at a lighter weight.

Still looks to have all his power to me, regardless of the weight loss. But I did notice in the fights he was around 230 he seemed to back the guys up into the corner more and then unload. And the recent fights where he has been much lighter its all more fighting in the middle, BUT it could just been that the opponents are much better now and don't allow him to back them into the corner, its probably that I guess.

 

[Hagler]

He'll never be a technical wizard. Improving speed and stamina is the best way to maximize his chances to land big between rounds 1 and 12.

Maybe his being this light could hurt him in the clinch, but it doesn't seem that many current high profile HW are interested in fighting at close range.

 

[koipin]

He's got natural power. He went from mobility and snap for the Fury fight. Fury moves too well for it to be effective in most of the fight.
Would Fury have gotten up if Wilder had another 25lbs behind his punch? Probably not.

 

[FightGuyOpenMind]

Power = Force x Velocity.

Less mass to move, he theoretically could move it faster with proper training. He is already producing enough force so the extra body weight is not necessary, as he has shown.

 

[FightGuyOpenMind]

I hate to be that guy but as an engineer I don't like to see disinformation. Mass times Velocity equals Momentum. However, Power is the product of Force times Velocity.

That is what I said. Nice to see my degree is helping me a bit. lol

 

[Jasonvoorhees]

Hey guys, so last 4 days I had some time off work and some downtime and I was watching some of Wilders older fights, mainly around 2013/2014/2015, and I noticed the ring announcer introduced him at 231 Ibs, then other fight it was 229.5 Ibs, and watching the fight he was so lean with probably 0% body fat. So its not like he was carrying anything extra, even at 231 he looked ripped and so lean, looks like you couldn't get a pound of fat off him if you tried your hardest.

So whats with the weight loss? why has he become so light?, I was shocked to hear he was 209 Ibs for the Fury fight. He weighed in at 212, but according to him in these videos, he weighed himself on the night of the fight and was 209 for the fight. Do you think he has become too light??. I noticed how slim he was looking in the fight and his back looks much smaller now. He seems to be getting smaller and smaller with each fight, he will end up being Atomweight in a few years if this continues lol

1:15 minute.


0:20 minute

An alternate question is why do so many heavyweights come in so heavy? For the longest time throughout boxing history, heavyweights were typically between 200 and 220, with 220 being on the large side. Foreman was seen as being gigantic at 6’3” and 220. Holmes was big at 6’3” 210. And Bowe was supersized at 6’5” 235.

But that 200-220 weight range was typical well into the ‘80s and early 90s, but then all of a sudden a large proportion of guys started fighting at 240, 250, 260; the emphasis seemed to shift more towards being bulkier and presumably stronger and less towards being leaner and quicker. Guys started actually trying to bulk up with weights and would routinely come in not only overly muscled but also overly fat as well.

But being leaner is probably better overall. And Wilder has proven that you don’t need to weigh a lot in order to have big power. The much heavier guy is generally viewed as being the stronger guy, but that doesn’t always hold true.

 

[Jasonvoorhees]

He's got natural power. He went from mobility and snap for the Fury fight. Fury moves too well for it to be effective in most of the fight.
Would Fury have gotten up if Wilder had another 25lbs behind his punch? Probably not.

But would Wilder still have the same snap on his punches if he were 25 pounds heavier? Maybe the loss of speed would negate the extra mass, thereby producing the same effect.

 

[HI SCOTT NEWMAN]

An alternate question is why do so many heavyweights come in so heavy? For the longest time throughout boxing history, heavyweights were typically between 200 and 220, with 220 being on the large side. Foreman was seen as being gigantic at 6’3” and 220. Holmes was big at 6’3” 210. And Bowe was supersized at 6’5” 235.

But that 200-220 weight range was typical well into the ‘80s and early 90s, but then all of a sudden a large proportion of guys started fighting at 240, 250, 260; the emphasis seemed to shift more towards being bulkier and presumably stronger and less towards being leaner and quicker. Guys started actually trying to bulk up with weights and would routinely come in not only overly muscled but also overly fat as well.

But being leaner is probably better overall. And Wilder has proven that you don’t need to weigh a lot in order to have big power. The much heavier guy is generally viewed as being the stronger guy, but that doesn’t always hold true.

Thats very true, I can't disagree with that, HW's certainly were a lot lighter in the early 90's... I remember when Lennox came and started dominating and he was one of the big guys, He was more like Anthony Joshua size, maybe a inch shorter. Maybe guys saw him and tried to be a big athlete like that, as he was super popular at that time.

I was wondering if there becomes a point where small is too small, as Wilder is getting significantly lighter with each fight, maybe like you say it won't make a difference at all and he will always keep his power

 

[Jasonvoorhees]

Thats very true, I can't disagree with that, HW's certainly were a lot lighter in the early 90's... I remember when Lennox came and started dominating and he was one of the big guys, He was more like Anthony Joshua size, maybe a inch shorter. Maybe guys saw him and tried to be a big athlete like that, as he was super popular at that time.

I was wondering if there becomes a point where small is too small, as Wilder is getting significantly lighter with each fight, maybe like you say it won't make a difference at all and he will always keep his power

Lennox was quicker and more agile earlier in his career. I think he weighed about 226 for many of his bouts up to and including the Ruddock bout, but then he slowly inched up into the high 230s and eventually settled in the 245-249 range. I think he was 247 for Tyson or thereabouts. But he got slower and less athletic the heavier he became. Against Ruddock and Biggs and Bruno he was very fast and quick. And against Vitali he was over 250 and a bit undertrained I think.

 

[GolovkinGOAT]

Basically Terence Crawford was advised to aim for 135 to get his title shot orchestrad by Arum. Crawford was always drained at 135. He always walked around like 154lb. As of late he walks around, since 2017, like 175+

Crawford had nasty looking UFC style weight drains with eyes all seeped in and bony looking cheek bones... it wasn’t until 2014 at 27 years of age that he decided to fulfill his realistic weights to 140 to 147.

In all fairness though Spence is a 154lb and would be a small Middleweight now.

Point being, Wilder is the real deal. He did everything reverse for what Crawford did and not cheat to achieve belts. Wilder could’ve fought at Cruiser if he went the Crawford approach. At least GBP did something right with Wilder initially.

 

[Badr Hari]

Thats very true, I can't disagree with that, HW's certainly were a lot lighter in the early 90's... I remember when Lennox came and started dominating and he was one of the big guys, He was more like Anthony Joshua size, maybe a inch shorter. Maybe guys saw him and tried to be a big athlete like that, as he was super popular at that time.

I was wondering if there becomes a point where small is too small, as Wilder is getting significantly lighter with each fight, maybe like you say it won't make a difference at all and he will always keep his power

I agree. Influences of the likes of lennox and klitschko played its role. In general there was this tendency in the 2000s of 'a good big man beats a great small man' and so most heavyweight boxers started bulking up. With the help of modern biochemistry some of these weight gains turn out to be succesful muscle gains, something that would have not happened 30 or 40 years ago. Joshua from a skinny tall guy that won the silver medal at the world championships in Azerbaijan to a shredded 250 pounds all muscle monster in three years in a cardio heavy sport is not a project you could pull off decades ago. Now it is possible. Some fighters use it to their advantage, some don't. For example I think Whyte is a bit unnecessary heavy. I like Wilder in this regard as he is convinced speed and technique is everything in this game. He is more than 2 meters tall and could have gone the AJ route of bulking up. Decided to stay fit and sharp. It's as old school as it gets and I respect him for that.

 

[Prefect]

I hate to be that guy but as an engineer I don't like to see disinformation. Mass times Velocity equals Momentum. However, Power is the product of Force times Velocity.

You don't care about power. It is how much mechanical energy can he generate and utilize.

 

[Prefect]

He'll never be a technical wizard. Improving speed and stamina is the best way to maximize his chances to land big between rounds 1 and 12.

Maybe his being this light could hurt him in the clinch, but it doesn't seem that many current high profile HW are interested in fighting at close range.

He isn't going to win a fight counter punching or pot shoting. I am with you on this. He has to be able to throw heat for 12 rounds.