Cruiserweight SHOULD be the premier division

CW division was not popular in forums mainly because top fighters were not from U.S or U.K.
Funny that actually U.S for sure had and does have good boxers at CW and fans still didn't noticed them enough.
Dorticos: living in U.S, form Cuba. Watchable, fights everyone he had been given to fight with. Moves like 200 lber, hits like he was not <200 lbs but 220 lbs in weight ins. Was really legit champ 2 times.
Tabiti: WBSS tournament fight allowed him to become legit cotender for IBF world title vs Dorticos. Cool fight, undefeated cotender vs Dorticos.
Hunter in CW, too was for sure top level fighter in division. Guy fought prime Usyk version.
Not form U.S too were interesting fighters:
Gassiev was young, before injury and this guy really was made like from piece of stone. Usyk ofc was more experienced and had better speed& agility then vs Gassiev. Not so easy fight for Usyk. Usyk then had high speed and managed to outbox him. Looked like easily, if bearing in mind how durable Gassiev then was and he was able to hit not weaker than Dorticos then.
Briedis, then had power package significantly more than even any 213 lbs boxer in weight in, not alone CW boxer. Also experienced.
Glowacki: fight vs Huck was damn cool, especially if bearing in mind Huck vs Povetkin fight with 32 y.o Pov.
Good division, a lot close matchup fights with fighters close in their age and ranking.

Now looks division will remain overlooked. Like it's not HW, therefore boring.
The same Dorticos for sure might become champ 3 rd time if he will get suitable fight.

 

True HW are 95% fat lethargic slobs

 

The reality was that this was not easy for him.
He get first world title belt ( WBO ) vs 30 y.o Glowacki in Poland. Then Glowacki was fresh, prime and undefeated, bearing in mind what he did vs Huck it was risky stuff.
Then Briedis, Usyk had most difficult fight in his life he ever had yet and barely, really barely won this one.
If knowing that Dorticos was capable to do nothing with 36 y.o Briedis version and Dorticos is not bad, he is legit. Usyk's win there vs Briedis now looks even more valuable and easier to get how hard this was for Usyk.
Then Gassiev fight.
Usyk also fought vs Hunter and Huck on foreign soil, again risky fights. Hunter then was undefeated prospect.

 

Cruiser is transitional, not premier or the deepest a division either, the demographic median of both (humans) or (boxing nations) are both a couple of divisions below. If the majority of (humans) or (boxing nations) scale-up to natural-fit Cruisers sculpted 200lbs at weigh in, then that will be the new premier division.

As of premier division from a Dramatic perspective, the Heavyweight division will remain the premier division because it historically produced the most popular stars, the obvious lower p4p skill level make it the most volatile & exciting division to watch.

 

These are your opinions because CW division usually is almost ingnored by HW fans posting in internet.
CW division is more competitive and with deeper talent pool than HW division.
With more high level close and unpredictable outcome fights between boxers close in their experience, ranking and age.
CW boxers usually does have low fat % and are considerably more mobile, still remaining enough large to be easily watchable. KOs and TKOs too happens not less frequently than in HW division.

Most popular stars because customers are happy to see name HW and assume: ohh, this is HW, must be good.
CW boxers are small midgets etc alike?

Historically a lot HW stars were in current CW boxers size and walk around weight.
Some very well known HW boxers were by modern criteria easily marked as really small CW size boxers. Some from them most likely were capable to make LHW 175 lbs limits for weight ins with modern nutritionists and dieting, long term regime and common in modern times long term before next high level fight.

Skill wise I will not make claims like for example: if CW boxer or HW boxer A or B easily is capable to destroy some boxer from lower weight class, then his SKILLS too are better level.

A lot of HW boxing icons in their prime were not larger than modern CW boxers.
There for me looks that division's name matters for ppl more than even boxer's physical dimensions and weight.

 

Sadly also volatility in CW during last at least 4 years was higher because CW division had a lot very unpredictable outcome fights with fighters very close in their age, experience and ranking.
Boxing is entertainment for me if fights are with lesser predictable outcome. HW ofc too does have surprises because appered that opponent was not enough old or not enough out of shape as had been assumed but matchups are very boring if compare with CW division.

 

Many old-time Heavyweights were similar to modern Super-Middleweights who walk around 190s, modern PEDs used by all boxers have an anabolic side-effect so naturally they are bulkier. Also more taller boxers were brought in as recruiting of Tall Heavyweights transitioned from freak-shows to to a range-maximalist mindset

Cruisers are in the same boat as the other divisions, they exist in the interior of portion of boxing for the fans who are interested in more details (skills), while the Heavyweight division is the eye-catching surface of boxing, most fans, boxers of all weights were brought into the sport because of the Heavyweights contribution to boxing. (Jack Johnson, Jack Dempsey, Joe Louis, Muhammad Ali, Fictional Rocky series, Mike Tyson...etc) disproportionately influenced the public, especially compared to their 1 division / 17 divisions share.

 

I think not only this, looks that during last decades ppl are larger and larger. Not considerably but still, average person without any training too does have larger frame etc I think.

Yeah, actually even Liston and Ali from 1960 ies were not larger than Lerena, CW boxer who recently looks that moved to this bridgerweight. He told that he is walking around approx 220 lbs and for him is not easy to make CW limit for weight in. Ali was 215 lbs vs Liston I and Liston then was 220 lbs.
Marciano was approx 184-185-188-189 lbs, Moore was small and Dempsey was not large if compare with Liston and Ali. Patterson was smaller than Ali and ofc than Liston.
Patterson and Marciano by modern criteria will be small CW without any weight cut, no dieting, no water cut.

 

This is definitely true, however part of that is time zone differences. If the fight is at 11am it could be a bald eagle facing Uncle Sam and the US ratings won't be good.

 

Meh. Kind of have to look at how the fighters themselves treat it.

Call it tradition. Call it prestige. Whatever. The newer divisions don’t have the same gravitas. Be it CW, SMW, JMW, etc. They are usually, but not always, staging points on the way to bigger and better things.

 

Why should a pit stop division be a "premier" division? This isn't hate, it's a legitimate question...........

 

Pit stop division as you had called had a lot of better fighters than your worshiped HW division top 10 top 15 ranked and even top 4 ranked guys.

You just worship HW division and never will agree how highly does matters skills and quality, competitive fights with close matchup.
HW division you worship as the best division currently is eltie for fans division where : 40 years 11 months old 224 lbs underdog in Povetkin had stopped higher than he ranked 32 y.o 252 lbs declared future world title cotender in Whyte and obsessed with HW division name fans will yell how lucky was Pov and how beated up he had vs Whyte.
Whye was WORSE, less tough, lesser durable and lesser watchable boxer vs OLD Pov than prime Huck was vs PRIME Povetkin's version.
HW elite real level.
Not only

 

They had a lot of very unpredictable fights in highest rankings level and a lot fights were without any questions about them.
For example Dorticos: all always looked 100% legit and with 0 doubts in ALL his fights in WBSS1 and WBSS2.
Sadly a lot of this division boxers aren't enough advertised, also looks that not enough talkative, mainly this is about EE origin CW boxers but Dorticos, Hunter and Tabiti too happened not enough talkative, with low PR campaign etc obstacles.