Adjusting weight classes & cross-divisional competition.

It is notable to me that there are 8 weight categories between just 105 lbs. & 130, & starting with only 3 lbs. between them. Also that almost all on this forum share my bias: we overwhelmingly discuss & are most interested in just the Heavyweight class!

As people have gotten bigger, some due to strength training, & fatter (the fattest society on earth), the weight classes have hardly ever changed. It is almost surprising that there remain many jockey-sized fighters to keep things competitive.

Now it used to be that guys around the light HW limit fought HWs, in the most olden daaaze I recall around the supper MW limit. This rarely worked out well for the lighter man, though when there were few big guys it was more likely too. But now we have many super-sized men, around 6 1/2 feet tall & 250 or even more. Sometimes not even super tall, but real big, largely from lifting. I recall a guy from my gym who was allegedly undefeated, 6' 2" & 265 or so-he felt good big, so kept it up...Allegedly natural too. Guy doing security at a local bar I have held 3 parties in is an undefeated amateur-his Manager does not let him fight underground bouts anymore-is 6'7" & has a huge bone structure. He is easily over 300, but even if he leaned down he would not be much different from 280, & this is natural & not due to lifting.

Now there are diminishing returns,. & sometimes backwards progress, when you get a great deal of muscle. Though I am certainly not convinced that this applies to all, & WHERE you lose enough speed & flexibility to more than de-compensate for increased power or chin varies by individual, frame & how one trains to maintain speed & suppleness. But it seems an extreme & ill-informed opinion that any kind of lifting never helps or must hurt your progress.

Comments on this are welcome. Yet I am most interested in is why we do not re-jigger the top weight divisions. It is understandable that the heavier classes have a broader range within them, since the pounds are a bigger percentage of their weight when you are smaller, & these little differences mean much more when you are smaller. So the divisions range from 3 to 8 lbs-until you get to Cruiserweight.

WHY have a 25 lbs. range there? I understand that guys either bulk up or lose all the weight they can to get to near the top of one category. But so many, especially today, can fight lean in the over 175-200 range. Would it not help them, be more fair, provide more opportunity & interest, to have 2 categories there? It would be more natural: going from 8 lb. jumps to ~ 12.5, the demarcation would be around 187.5, which Rocky (& peak Dempsey in '19) would make without any dieting.

A 2nd fun question: how would these guys & others their size naturally do against ANY of the best boxers, those who surfed different classes around there, like Roy Jones jr., at the same weight?

Then the NEXT category I propose being names "Bruiserweight".
It would add excitement to have one category just below the heavies, who cannot really do well at the top, but should have their skills honored if they are good enough, & the CW should fight guys their own size.

ALSO: let's have a "Cruising for a Bruisin'" optional fight-off, where (foreshadowing my suggestions for 2 classes of HWs & their cross-division competition below)-tournaments could end with the CW & BW kings being matched & amply rewarded for a final title as the "True Bruiser"!

Now I inquire about a 3rd question where opinions are welcome. Should we have a Super-heavyweight division like in the amateurs? Even those dubious about the benefits of bulking up towards the size of Ahhh-nald in the '70's must recognize that if your skeleton is big enough, (height & bone structure), your lean weight will be higher, even all other things being equal.

WOULD the biggest guys dominate if sports such as football & basketball did not monopolize the giants? The Klitchkos eve more so than Lewis dominate more due to their great length & telephone poll jab. Would it reinvigorate boxing to have another class where the line was around the 240's?

Maybe something unique could be done: since there historically was no battleship sized class & a regular HW (& sometimes somewhat lighter) man could fight a[(n)especially for that time] giant like Carnera & Firpo, lets let Those top 2 divisions fight EACH OTHER sometimes for a unified, "True Heavyweight" championship!

Boxing has lost out a lot to MMA & extreme fighting. This would bring in more of the Big guys, from there & possibly other sports, & folks would enjoy rooting for a "little" 220 lb guy over someone 260-280, occasionally larger. Or just cheer for size & muscle. I do propose that the drug testing get even stricter, let's not reward cheating & fake bodies like bodybuilding usually does.

Hell, let's say you had a truly dominant "Bruiserweight". Holyfield could have been one, & IF the "True HW" champion was a conventional HW roughly the size of Tyson, Liston, Ali, Frazier or innumerable others: it would set up demand for HW-BW face off! They would be more or less within 20 lbs. or so-maybe less naturally since the BW might routinely lean down just to make his weight they could likely find a way to compete at the same class! Imagine if a Bruiserweight moved up & could beat the best conventional HW, who in turn beat some NBA Power Forward Karl or Moses Malone sized dude!

You cannot tell me that this rooting for the "little" guy who "Beat The Man who Beat The Man" rivalry would not add excitement to boxing! Without adding any brutality. Also, those who ventured to risk an optional "Big Boy" cross-divisional unification should still retain their single title if they lost.

So whaddya thunk? I am delighted with my original idea(l)s, but please address the 2 questions about the 2 new divisions (& how the greats would do against the best modern guys in the mid 180 lbs.or so no-man's land). Are they inspiring & fair minded boons to breathe new life into a fading sport, or crackpot dreams that would provide no more interest, parity, & possibly bring on a premature Apocalypse?

A heavenly revolution for the Sweet Science, Or Boxapolypse Now?

I will allow vote changes in case folks reconsider due to the debate.

 

There has been little activity lately, so I give my creative correctives/arguably cockamamie scheme for additional upper weight classes & optional inter-divisional combat & a special "True Heavyweight" title a bump.

I want to stress that I would consolidate all the belts/ranking authorities within divisions, so there would actually be somewhat less titles at stake. Arguably consolidate some lower divisions-5 within 13 lbs. seems excessive even considering that each lb. means proportionately more when smaller.

Boxing has lost out a lot to MMA & extreme fighting. This would being in more of the Big guys, from there & possibly other sports, & folks would enjoy rooting for a "little" 220 lb guy over someone 260-280, occasionally larger. Or just cheer for size & muscle. I do propose that the drug testing get even stricter, let's not reward cheating & fake bodies like bodybuilding usually does.

Hell, let's say you had a truly dominant "Bruiserweight". Holyfield could have been one, & IF the "True HW" champion was a conventional HW roughly the size of Tyson, Liston, Ali, Frazier or innumerable others: it would set up demand for HW-BW face off! They would be more or less within 20 lbs. or so-maybe less naturally since the BW might routinely lean down just to make his weight they could likely find a way to compete at the same class! Imagine if a Bruiserweight moved up & could beat the best conventional HW, who in turn beat a Super-Heavyweight-some linebacker/NBA Power Forward Karl or Moses Malone sized dude!

You cannot tell me that this rooting for the "little" guy who "Beat The Man who Beat The Man" rivalry would not add excitement to boxing! Without adding any brutality".

For fun, here was my response to some tongue in cheek comments about arguably excessive & creatively named divisions. An expansion towards the limit of human corpulence servicing the circus goal of the Ultimate Politically Correct Divisional Structure. A Modest Proposal:


"So we agree on maulerweight, bruiserweight, heavyweight, and hopefully, supercruiserweight & junior superheavyweight, great. I mentioned SuperHW, don't forget we must keep Cruiserweight, this takes care of everything over LHW/175. Except...

Now how about for those, sometimes naturally, over 280? Maybe those really big AND dedicated powerlifters or bodybuilders/NFL lineman types who would be lean approaching 300 want an entry into boxing, & would have tropuble, at least initially, competing against the best "little" guys, so the best they would need to face would be a Valuev.

Then we could have a post 350/360 lb. division for those monsters who also have trouble leaning out. Giant pro & sumo wrestlers can't compete fairly, so they would have equal footing with boxing novices (barring the occasional Butterbean). Let's call this "Super-Duperweight"

Next what about those who almost invariably are morbidly obese? Sure, some will be 75% (only severely obese), but it is roughly similar, so starting at 500 seems fair. Hence "Groupweight".

Lastly, none of these "little" guys or those with unfair athletic advantages will be able to dominate if we provide the top division ~ 800/900 lbs. This weight class will put a premium on walking under your own power & the ability to strike meaningfully without falling off balance. "Stupor- Weight" is born.

That should be all that is ever necessary, until genetic engineering enables growing bigger skeletons & comic book muscular proportions. So later we can go to 1200 lbs. or so for them, & finally over one ton for FAT genetically modified monsters. Lessee..."Frigateweight" & "AlteredStateweight" but the above plan sets us up for YEARS of sporting & diverting competition!"


So vote if you have not, + most importantly, whaddya thunk?