IN THEORY, is it better to dominate 1 division or wins titles at multiple divisions??

When i look at a fighter's greatness, i initially think that it is only fair to consider how good he was in his absolute prime, in most cases (of the elite) this would be the division the fighter would be dominant in. I always look at that first personally, and the weight-class jumping is something i might see as something that may enhance one's legacy. That would usually be the case for me when the higher weight he fought at is one where he is clearly disadvantaged, therefore it can sometimes be a situation where a loss might not seriously hurt his all-time standing, as it should be expected, but a wiin can be looked upon as something spectacular. But this is just all subjective, if a guy didnt do particularly well in his natural division, but then went through other divisions beating the top man in each, then i would rank him high on that. Greatness is just the most subjective thing that can be debated in boxing.

I personally do give much credit to fighters being dominant and establishing themselves as the best of the era in a particular weight class.

 

It is better, in my opinion, to remain in one weight class, if it suits the body and metabolism of the given fighter, and dominate that division, and rack up an impressive string of title defenses, demonstrating consistant superiority over the best challengers that the division has to offer, than to merely hop from on division to another.

 

The guy who stayed put in one division, unified it and made an impressive string of consecutive defenses, obviously. It's almost heroic to unify a division in these times, so as to restore the sport of boxing to or near the state of clarity it once assumed with one champion per division.

 

The to your question is dependent on many factors.

First of all, I and many others count both "dominance in their natural weight division" and "performance vs. larger men" in p4p rankings.

- I would say that if a fighter moves out of their natural weight class after taking a belt or two in order to avoid a real challenge and instead go chasing belts that are owned by weaker, though larger competition, then I would note that.

- If a fighter is recognized as the Ring Magazine Champ, although he won't powder his butt for Jose Suliaman and so moves up, then that's just fine with me.

- If a champ doesn't unify but rises up in weight to face a formidable challenge that the public demands, that helps legacy.

- If a fighter decides to stay in his natural division and defend it like that three-headed dog in mythology for 10 years, then I have to respect that. Hagler's long defense of his turf should not cost him in terms of legacy.

....

 

Good post S89, like i said, greatness is SO subjective.

 

Fighters outgrow their weight classes and usually have no choice but to rise to a heavier division, but a guy who is just suited to their division, like Bob Foster, Carlos Monzon, Marvin Hagler, etc., usually end up unifying the titles and having a long, dominant reign as champion, whereas the division hoppers usually end up overreaching, and get a big "ko by" on their records. Actually, of the three examples I mentioned, only Bob Foster made the mistake of overreaching, actually he did both, in being a longtime, dominant champion with many defenses in his division.

 

When you put it like that.... Id defo say fighter B.

Of course, ideally Id like to see both like with Duran dominating at LWT then moving up 4 more divisions to take titles there but thats rare so I would say.......

Its always more impressive to see a boxer so skilled that he can overcome the size factor continually than to see a boxer continue to dominate men of the same size - to me, it proves a little more about both the man & the fighter.

:thumbsup

 

If their resumes are of a similar quality I'll go with the guy who moved through the weights. That's not normally the case though. Normally the guy who's stuck to a single weight class and dominated has fought all contenders that come his way, while the guy who moves between the weights has usually picked his opposition in order to make their accomplishments look better on paper.

 

Competition is obviously the biggest factor.

In relation to the original question this is especially pertinent in the modern era, were a fighter can jump through the divisions, picking up belts but without fighting the main contenders, and with only public opinion and $$$ to pressure him into the big fights.

However, natural weight discrepancy combined with a very good challenger can elevate a division hopper to greatness.

 

Of course it depends on the specifics and there are so many ways to imagine both scenario playing out. I like to see dominance in one division over years and title defenses. But I think, without getting into specifics, that in general moving through divisions is going to be better for a fighters legacy.

I would think staying at one division for an exptended period of time will see you facing a lot of softer touches. Its hard to find top challengers in the same division for long stretches. If you move up through the divisions you're going to be able to face the best from those divisions as well. Once you clear out a division it takes some time to replenish it but if you move up you can seek out new challenges.

 

Who should be rated higher? Who beat better fighters? That is who I would pick. Sometimes a divison king is stuck in a medicore divison. Other times, he's in a loaded divison.

 

With the abundance of weightclass since the 80's, a legacy as the greatest in a weightclass will obviously, make you an ATG in that weightclass(Joe Calzaghe is the best example of this)

But ATG overall, you need to face the best period.

Joe Calzaghe comes to mind so much for this thread - look at the guy, he could have moved up or down many times in his career, but he didn't - theres no way he makes it top 50 in any ATG list, however he is undoublty the no.1 168lbs of all time(unless he loses to RJJ, which would give RJJ the title i guess?)

But in general, its just fight the best and your good.

 

About equal, depends on what you prefer.