[@floodtalon]
If I may?
I don't think it necessary that he is boosted up to be on par with some of the other characters. If he's weaker physically than some others, it'll force you to think of other ways he can win and thus make for more interesting writing.

Reading a pup-stomp isn't really that entertaining, but reading about how the underdog outsmarts the superior opponent is much more intriguing. He's already at the peak of human physiology, which is superior to a lot of characters, actually (Sophia & Pithy, for example, are both on normal-ish human levels.)