Sullivan may have been only 5'10" and around 190 lbs in his prime but don't forget that it was the late nineteenth century, and fighters didn't lift heavy at the time. The fact that Sullivan would compete in weightlifting contests and do very well says a lot about his natural strength. On a contrary note, Lennox Lewis would NOT be competitive with today's top powerlifters at all. Give Sullivan the knowledge of modern training techniques (as well as the steroids) that Tyson enjoyed and I think that Sullivan would have been even bigger than Tyson. Even at 190 lbs, I think he'd be comparable to 215 lb prime Tyson in terms of overall body strength. Sullivan's strength in the clinches and for throwing his opponent around was legendary, while Tyson is known for getting muscled around in the ring.
I'm not saying that Sullivan had a style that would successful against today's heavyweights, just that he would not be so outclassed, physically, as you would think. He is no more a cruiserweight than Tyson is. Both are 5'10, but both have a large frame for that height. The weight classes are there to seperate fighters of difference sized FRAMES from fighting one another. Yes I know the weight classes are seperated by weight but it is a heavyweights big frame that enables them (on average) to hit so much harder and to absorb more punishment then the little guys. Frame is the reason that ODLH looked so big compared to his opponents (who weighed in at virtually the same weight as he) when he was a lightweight. If I recall correctly, Sullivan's fist and chest cirumference are equal to 255 lb Lewis'. There was nothing "cruiserweight" about Sullivan.
youngcorbett - Martin beat me to it (I couldn't find it when I looked before). That page has some great pictures.
"If I recall correctly, Sullivan's fist and chest cirumference are equal to 255 lb Lewis'."
Some interesting "Tale of the Tape" numbers from the IBHOF:
Chest ('normal' i.e. unexpanded):
Sullivan: 43 in.
Jeffries: 43 in.
Dempsey: 42 in.
Louis: 42 in.
Marciano: 39 in.
Ali: 43 in.
Holmes: 43.5 in.
Tyson: 43 in.
Bowe: 46 in.
Lewis: 44 in.
Next up, FIST:
Sullivan: 14 in.
Jeffries: 13.5 in.
Dempsey: 11.25 in.
Louis: 11.75 in.
Marciano: 11.5 in.
Ali: 12.5 in.
Holmes: 13.5 in.
Tyson: 13 in.
Bowe: 13.5 in.
Lewis: 12 in.
And just for kicks:
BICEPS:
Sullivan: 16.25 in.
Jeffries: 16 in.
Dempsey: 16.25 in.
Louis: 15 in.
Marciano: 14 in.
Ali: 15.5 in.
Holmes: 15.75 in.
Tyson: 16 in.
Lewis: 17 in.
And just for the "freakshow" value:
Primo Carnera:Chest: 48 in.Fist: 14.75 in.Neck: 20 in.Biceps: 18.5 in.
Da Preem!