Sebastian Fundora, 6’5″, is not the tallest boxer in boxing history. Based on records, it was shared by Gogea Mitu and John Rankin who both stood at 7’4” according to internet site Spartacus.
Well, Fundora (20-1-1), will be facing the 5’9″ WBO junior middleweight champion Tim Tszyu (24-0-0) on March 30th (31st, Philippine time) at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The 8-inch advantage of the “Towering Inferno” reportedlyescalates worries for Tszyu’s camp.
The Giant of Marsani
Mitu, with a 2-0, W-L record and whose real name was Dumitru Stefanescu was born in Romania in 1914, and due to gigantism, he grew to that shocking height of 7 foot 4 inches. His story revolves around athletic talent, bodily abnormality, and a meteor-like boxing career: brief but memorable. Mitu, known as the “Giant of Marsani” started in showbiz but ended in the so-called lonely sport of boxing.
Utilizing his height advantage, Mitu, then 25 years old defeated Savero Grizzo on June 7, 1935, and Dumitru Pavalescu on October 27, 1935. In all of his two bouts, Mitu bombastically finished them both with first-round knockouts.
His wins are brief but very dominating like lightning. But the most important thing is Mitu proved as early as the 30s that even in boxing, height is might.
Ranking In
John Rankin, also 7’4”, fought just once. He plummeted Willie Lee (11-28-1) and won via UD in the November 13, 1967 bout in a match held at Municipal Auditorium in New Orleans. Like Mitu, his persona is also considered a combination of significant height and reach advantage they had over their opponents.
Browsing BoxRec, we could only find one entry about Rankin’s fight and that is the fight against Lee. But his performance in that fight, according to experts, suggested that he was an experienced fighter who knew how to leverage his towering physique to his benefit.
John Rankin had previously been working as a doorman in New Orleans before becoming a heavyweight boxer.
Tall Order
With Sebastian Fundora’s height and reach advantage, the camp of Tim Tszyu has a reason to worry. It is indeed a tough assignment for them how to overcome those. This height advantage coupled with the punching power of Fundora (which was doubted by Tszyu) are essential elements in his fighting style, allowing him to control the pace and distance of his attacks effectively as he has shown in his previous fights with Jose Cardenas to Carlos Ocampo.
Reach and height play a significant role in a boxer’s defensive strategy. Fighters like Mitu and Rankin can keep opponents at bay, minimizing the risk of close-range strikes. They can use their reach to land punches while staying out of their opponent’s striking range, making it harder for the opponent to land effective hits.
In short, it’s an uphill battle for the team. But the Australian boxer declares with full confidence, “I am not afraid of anybody!” Brian Mendoza (22-3-0) who said that Fondura is a pillow puncher was KOed by Fundora but defeated by Tszyu via UD.
Not Just Spectacle?
The stories of Mitu, Rankin, Fundora, and the rest of the figurative giants in the world of boxing are a manifestation that such an attribute adds spice and color, drama, and narrative to the sport. It is a testament that such extraordinary physical feature is not just a spectacle but can be converted into greatness in the sport.
The Fundora-Tszyu fight with such glaring differences in height and other diversities in the narrative makes this historic clash truly seriously spectacular.
No comments:
Post a Comment