This is intended as a question not an argument. I have read numerous strong posters who have stated they either don't consider heavyweights for p4p or believe that no heavyweight could possibly be the p4p king. What is the justification for this?
The justification is that they will have only fought in one weight class, which is a little harsh maybe but hey you can understand it, for example I would rate Duran higher than Ali on a p4p basis considering he was a lightweight who won titles up to middle (?) and beat in SRL one of the best welters of all-time. I wouldn't say all heavyweights, for example most people think of Sam Langford as a heavyweight, but I would rate him as my p4p #1 of all-time on the basis that he has wins over ATG's from lightweight to heavyweight.
The idea is that heavies tend to exhibit less extraordinary skills because they are bigger and slower. Which is obviously the case.
I think Tommy Burns is underrated in a pound for pound sense. The middleweight champ, What, I mean the Heavyweight Champion of the WORLD. Burns was mostly a middleweight whipping the big boys. Until his luck ran out against Johnson of couse.
Which is crazy, cause to imagine a fighter with Muhammad Ali's attributes as a Welterweight and above would be incredible. (That type of Chin & Speed + underated Power) I agree, A HW can defo be a P4P.
agreed. However i find they are harder to rank properly because they fight over such a wide range of weights while remaining in the same division. Can a 210lb heavyweight who loses to a 250lb heavyweight still be considered better than him p4p? Can you have 2 heavyweights in the same era, where one is better p4p, and the other is a better heavyweight? very tricky imo
A Lb of Nickel Vs a Lb of Gold....most heavys are less skilled but if you had a heavyweight Lb4Lb Marciano,Dempsey and louis would be on it...Marciano at 189Lbs is thw #1 Lb4Lb...Now Duran @ 6"2 217 WOULD BE A TOUGH ONE AND A SCALED DOWN ALI WOULD BE IN TROUBLE @ 135 FACING DURAN
I am not a big pound for pound person. With 17 different weight divisions, 68 world title belts, and alphabet politics that often prevent title unification matches, such discussions become hard to quantify. The weight classes themselves are but paper barriers these days, as fighters will make weight, then add 15 pounds on fight night, sometimes fighting 2-3 weight classes above the belt they are sanctioned to fight for. So who are boxing's best pound for pound fighters? Pound for pound meant a lot more when there were only 8 divisions, and one champion. The true mark of a pound for pound fighter is one who can win multiple belts, and do so by giving up weight. I suppose a 201 pound heavyweight champion, beating fighters 30-40 pounds heavier could be the #1 pound for pound guy in boxing.
Hws are the best fighters in the world. They don't need p4p rankings. the p4p rankings are for the rest of the weight classes. This is why I don't rank them... the HW champion is the world's best fighter... there is also a problem... if you rate HWs in the p4p picture then does Marciano come above Ali because he was smaller? doesn't make sense...
My God...pound for pound is an expression. I can't believe how many people take that at face value...:rofl :rofl
