There’s an old saying, “The bigger they are, the harder they fall!”
Last Saturday in Saudi Arabia, previously unbeaten heavyweight Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller, 26-0-1, finally tasted defeat at the hands of Daniel “Dynamite” Dubois, 20-2, by stoppage in the tenth and final round. Miller came in at a walloping 333 pounds.
I remember Eric “Butterbean” Esch finishing his career weighting #426 ½ pounds, being defeated by Kirk Lawton, 1-1, in two rounds. His last win, coming in at #417 ½, was over Joe Sicliano, 4-3, at #313 ½, stopped in two rounds.
The highlight of his career was getting credited with a dubious knockdown in the final seconds of the last round ten when former champ Larry “The Easton Assassin” Holmes, 68-6, hit the canvas. Holmes felt making the “4 rounder champ” agree to a ten round fight he would stop him late in the fight.
The greatest combined weight in a title fight was 488 ¾ pounds, when champion Primo Carnera (259 ½) outpointed Paulino Uzcudun (229 ½) in Rome, Italy, on October 22, 1933.
At 6’09”, former Dallas Cowboy Ed “Too Tall” Jones went 6-0 but was dropped several times by an average Mexican and decided boxing was not for him.
At 6:09 ½, “Big” Jim Beattie, 40-10, from Minnesota, ended up losing four of his last five fights.
Romanian Gogea “Giant of Marsani” Mitu was 7’04” and 2-0, South African Ewart Potgeter, 7’02” at 11-2-1, Julius “Towering Inferno” Long, 7’1” at 18-27-1, still active in New Zealand and from Michigan at age 46, champion Russian Nikolai Valuev, 7’0” was an exception, Taishan Dong, 6’11” was 6-0 from China and of course current champion Tyson “Gypsy King” Fury, at 6’09” another exception.
Also, John Rankin, 7’04” at #300, was 1-0 from Louisiana, Irish champ Jim Cully, 7’02” at 3-3, Marcellus “More Than a Conqueror” Brown, 7’0” at #273 from Kentucky and 33-18-1, Tom Payne 7’02”, 3-2, NBA player from California and Gil Anderson, 7’0”, 2-0 from California.
I remember NBA great Wilt “The Stilt” Chamberlain over 7’0” talking about boxing when Muhammad “The Greatest” Ali whispered in his ear, “Timber!” That was it for Wilt.
