Watching boxing, you see every conceivable body type in the ring. The long lean Tommy Hearns, the short explosive Mike Tyson, but every now and then a fighter goes against the stereotype of their size. Paul Williams being a pressure fighter, even with massive height and reach advantages is a good example. Today, I will look at a few short fighters who were not big punchers. This stereotype works when thinking of Marciano, Frazier, and Tyson... 3 of the most famous heavyweights of all time. Of course, why pressure if your punches do nothing. However, these 3 men achieved some level of success in the ring, even though they lacked both pop and stature. This is a common occurrence in female boxing, but for the men, it is quite rare.
Willie Pep - yes, all featherweights are fairly short, however, even against the rare tall fighter, Pep was usually untouchable. A punch that could not crack an egg was another characteristic, but then again, how would we know? He never slowed down enough to set his feet. Pep was the consummate master boxer, and most writers have him in their top 20, if not top 10 all time greats list. Even after a plane crash, well past his prime, against a much taller brutal punching fellow hall of famer (sandy saddler), he managed to outbox him over 15 rounds in one of their matchups. Very impressive.
Leonard Dorin - Dorin fought in an amateur style for much of his pro career, but anyone who holds a dominating win against the ultimate spoiler, Emanuel Augustus, has to be doing something right. Dorin was squat, but inexhaustable, and fought well with pressure, even if he was not hurting his opponent. most even had him beating Spadafora in their unification clash, which was ultimately called a draw. He achieved this with expert timing, and visibly impressive schooling. he also only suffered one defeat, from a body shot against Arturo Gatti, meaning he got out before any damage was done from his style, and ability to go rounds.
Kahren Haryutunyan - It is rare for a fighter to attain a top ten ranking and regional belt without a single Ko in 20 fights. It is also rare for a fighter to quit in his mid 20's, and pursue a career in both boxing promotion and law. Haryutunyan was not typical, however. A UCLA student for much of his career, Haryutunyan was a flyweight who won an NABO belt, and gave Nonito Donaire his only competitive fight between 2001 and 2013. He managed to accomplish this while giving up height and reach in virtually all of his fights, and never scoring a single knockout... retiring with a 14-3-3 record.
Chris Strait
www.convictedartist.com