I was pondering this idea because I was trying to make my H2H Top 10 for CW and I considered the idea of adding some fighters like Marciano and maybe Joe Louis just because they fought at that weight so much but I'm still not sure I want to add them. What do you guys think so far.
No CW isn't just men 175-200 pounds its fighters who chose not to participate in HW and are ranked in a much smaller pond. And thats a very meaningful distinction.
You are right. But fighters like Gassiev and Breidis in the Usyk resume do confuse the issue. Because they are very good fighter and bigger than most of Marciano's opponents.
When I defend the honor of past 175-200 pounders Marcianos generations is not really what I have in mind. But still they were ranked in the highest division available to them. Usyks CW is the best CW division theres ever been. Its usually been worse. Theres also the seperate issue of old timers favoring lighter builds. So Louis for example wouldn't be a CW today he'd be somewhere in the BW range. Most fighters in the early 20th century would be much heavier just because how people feel about heavier builds has changed.
Off the top of my head, some of the best cruisers have been Usyk, Holyfield, De Leon, Toney, Qawi, Jirov, Mormeck, Haye…a bunch of guys who also fought heavies.
A lot of those were 175ers or under who were climbing the ladder and encountered the CW division on their journey. Guys who are CW "mains" are typically 2nd tier HWs.
