Bartolo Colon – aka as Big Sexy – is one of the most popular players in Major League Baseball, mainly due to his portly frame, and he sent the baseball world into a wave of excitement when he the became oldest player in history to hit his first career home run.
There is no doubt that Colon is a very big man, but at 42 years of age he remains one of the most consistent pitchers in Major League Baseball and he got us thinking about other athletes that defied their large size to forge highly successful careers.
Bartolo Colon
Colon made his Major League Baseball debut for the Cleveland Indians in 1997 and he has played 482 Major League games, but until yesterday he had never hit a home run.
While he is mostly well-known for his stature, Colon is a serious pitching talent and he won the Cy Young Award in 2005 and is a three-time All Star.
He probably only has a couple of years left in his career, but Colon’s history-making homerun will insure that he is remembered for many years to come.
Butterbean
Butterbean was never one of the best boxers in the world, but he has always been one of the most entertaining and he is a genuine cult figure in a sport filled with big characters.
Butterbean made his boxing debut way back in 1994 and he suffered just 1 loss in his first 67 fights, leaving a string of knockout victims on the mat.
He has not fought since 2013, but at this stage his record is a most impressive 77-10-4 in the squared circle, while he has an MMA record of 17-10-1.
Dwayne Leverock
Australia may have won the 2007 Cricket World Cup, but there is no doubt that the star of the show was Bermuda’s Dwayne Leverock.
Leverock was a more than handy left arm orthodox bowler – he dismissed both Paul Collingwood and Kevin Pietersen in a World Cup warm-up game – but the highlight of his tournament came when he took an outstanding catch at first slip against India.
Bermuda celebrated the wicket as if they had won the World Cup and Leverock treated the fans to a trademark dance.
George Rose
George Rose may have played for Manly, but he was still one of the most popular players in the NRL for the better part of a decade.
Rose was the heart and soul of the Manly side that were perennial premiership contenders and his surprising athleticism for a big man captured the hearts of rugby league fans all around Australia.
Gorgeous George is currently playing country football with the Oberon Tigers, but there has been talk about a Super League comeback.
Roy Nelson
Roy Nelson has a love hate relationship with UFC supremo Dana White due to his physique and lack of physical condition, but he is one of the most exciting fighters in the UFC and he has a host of high-profile victories over the likes of Brendan Schaub, Stefan Struve, Mirko Cro Cop and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira on his fighting resume.
Nelson looks like the type of bloke that you would be happy to see in a pub fight, but he is a very dangerous knockout artist and a much better fighter than a number of UFC alumni that look as though they were chiseled out of stone.
John Daly
John Daly is the poster child for out of shape athletes that still managed to find success in the sporting arena.
Daly loves a cigarette, punishes beers and wouldn’t know what a gym looks like, but he is still a two-time Grand Slam Champion and is the only golfer that can get away with playing a round with his lid off and no shoes on.
Manny ‘Tiny’ Yarbrough
Manny Yarbrough was an American sumo wrestler that was formerly known as the heaviest living athlete in history.
Yarbrough picked the one sport where his massive frame would prove to be a huge advantage and he was the 1995 World Amateur Sumo Champion, while he was an All American wrestler during his time at Morgan State University.
Mark Richardson & Darren Lehmann
Apart from Mark Cosgrove, the modern day cricketer is in outstanding shape and follows a strict fitness regime and Mark Richardson and Darren Lehmann were perhaps the last of the portly international cricketers.
Richardson was known for his slow-scoring with the bat in his hand, but he became an international sensation when he started challenging the slowest runner of the opposing side to a running race at the conclusion of each test series.
The race between Richardson and Lehmann was highly anticipated and the Kiwis claimed their first win of the tour when Richardson proved too quick for the current Australian coach.
Adebayo Akinfenwa
Adebayo Akinfenwa is an English football journeyman that is famous for being rated the strongest footballer in the world by the FIFA videogame series.
Akinfenwa is a big boy, but he is a proven goalscorer and he has been the key striker for AFC Wimbledon since he joined the club in 2014, with the 33-year-old drawing attention from clubs in Major League Soccer as well as higher divisions in England.
Prince Fielder
Prince Fielder is one of the best players in Major League Baseball, but he is also a very hungry man.
Fielder attempted to become a vegetarian, but only lasted three months and he was unable to control his hunger when he found himself standing next to a Detroit Tigers fan that left his nachos unguarded.