Does the Cruiserweight division need to exist?

YES, many fighters are at their peak at specific weights and even 7 or 8 pounds makes a huge difference.

I understand your historical argument, but there also weren't 250 pound heavyweights 80 years ago or whatever. There are plenty of guys who are at their best fighting weight between 185-200 and lose a lot when they go above that.

Cruiser and Heavyweight fights are very different. You have a much greater element of speed and often of punch output, rather than the plodding low punch outputs you often get at heavyweight. It is actually a MORE exciting division in terms of actual fights because guys aren't bloated and slow. Recent examples of Cruisers who didn't really have the frame to be successful at heavy but were outstanding Cruisers are Jirov, Nelson, Bell, Toney (who's absolute best weight was 185-190).

 

i'd prefer to watch a cruiserweight fight than a heavyweight fight pretty much at any time...power/speed/size, its a shame 1 so many go to hw and cant hack it and 2 it doesnt get the attention it deserves, id rather see fights like adamek-cunningham than most of any possible hw matchups

 

Separate thread maybe, but Toney's best weight was certainly not 160. He was incredibly drained at that weight. Produced good performances, certainly, but at a heavy cost, namely years of his prime, he never was fully at strength after the Jones loss until his 1999 fight with Adolpho Washington.

Your other points are good ones, but I think a better solution is to develop naturally bigger fighters who are good, not just have guys fighting at too a high or low a weight to make better matchups. The best matchups occur when two fighters are at their top physical weights.

 

If I were the Ruler Supreme of Boxing...right after reinstating the 15 round title limit, I'd start eliminating the boxing organizations and excess weight divisions..and cruiserweight would be the first to go...along with strawweight and minimumweight.

 

unless the guy is over 7 feet tall 250 is an artificial weight for an athlete -even now!.

 

So your solution is? Anything over 175 is heavyweight again?

 

Yes. As it should be. I admit I'm sort of undecided as to the "junior weight" classes...one..just one (lol) that I have an admiration for is junior-welter.

 

Once again red cobra nailed it...Bring back 15 round fights and the plodding behemoths that infest the HW division would be a vanishing breed. Also get rid of the in between divisions as well. What the hell is a 4lb difference in divisions anyway? It's all about (Get ready folks) MONEY!! Yes the almighty dollar once again raises it's ugly head..Why the hell do you think we have 3 championship belts in a single flippin' division. That's a disgrace. Who the hell is the real champ? 8 divisions like it was in the glory days. Either make the weight or go home....or campaign in the next available division. I love boxing but not what it's become. Louis and Dempsey beat the crap outta men that had 30-50 lbs on them so why can't 200 lbers today do the same? Bring back 15 round championship fights and fighters will have to train down to last the distance.

 

Strawweight and minimumweight? :think

 

:goodThank you and very well put BTW!!

 

Flyweight should be the lightest division. In this day and age we shouldn't be breeding "toy humans" anymore...a fighter has got to be able to at least make flyweight...I mean 112 lbs!!!! Come on now!!!

 

So, you want to do away with 105 and 108.

The division above minimumweight (105) is called light flyweight (108.)

Strawweight is minimumweight.

 

On the actual thread topic: I have to respectfully disagree.

Tomasz Adamek should not be in the same division as Wladimir Klitschko. Neither should Eddie Chambers or Alexander Povetkin, honestly.

You can point to Chambers' win over Dimitrenko as an example of a good small guy beating a good big guy - but really good big guys are always going to tear good small guys limb from limb (as evidenced by Klitschko-Chambers).

It's better to err on the side of big boys not having quick small guys to have to sharpen their skills against than to err on the side of very good fighters without a prayer of making 175 forced to compete with behemoths whose size advantage renders their significant skill meaningless.