Is it fair to say that Cruiserweight has largely been seen as a nothing division?

Yeah but I think he'll still get a fair bit of respect. He is now, in his own time, which is more than can be said for some Heavyweight champs.

 

I think he will too, but not what I think he really deserves.

I hope he carries on as long as he possibly can though, it would be sad if a bum was heavyweight world champion.... which is what seems likely.

 

It'd be very interesting to see Wlad in with some guys that will really test him, just won't happen know though. He will get his dues in about 10 years.

 

Cheers! Wasn't sure how much of the Carnera stuff was fact and how much was fiction. I haven't really seen more than a few clips of him, but I'll try to watch what I can find at some point.

As sentimental as it sounds, I'd like to think the 'fix' stuff is grossly exaggerated. From anything I have read about him, he seemed to take a lot of flak during his lifetime. It'd be nice if he was at least a legitimate world champion after all that. I know there was a book published about his life last year, but can't for the life of me remember what it was called. It was reviewed in an issue of The RING, so I'll need to try to track it down sometime.

I like Chambers too. At this point I'm skeptical that he's going to actually fight once a fight involving him is announced, but still! I'd fancy him to beat Povetkin in a rematch, but I still think he'd stand to get into a bit better shape and would prefer to see him against Huck (either at cruiserweight or heavyweight), Adamek (same) or at cruiserweight against Hernandez, Cunningham or Włodarczyk. He certainly doesn't look as though he couldn't make the weight.

 

But I think his speed is an advantage against the bigger guys (example: Dimitrienko fight) and if he can outbox one of the better fighters in the division (and I think he can beat Povetkin second time round as well) I see no reason why he can't get in shape and come in light.

It wasn't his excess blubber making him a durable, skilled performer. So there's no reason he can't be a lighter, in-shape Heavy and still prosper IMO, though he showed nothing against Wlad for me to think he could ever conceivably scale the top of the division while he's no.1 :good

 

And although he was already gravely injured, the fact there is footage of Carnera killing Ernie Schaff with a jab :scaredas:

 

You try so hard, don't you?

****ing weirdo.

 

I guess the selfish part of me wants to see Chambers in with the likes of Huck, Hernandez, Cunningham etc as they'd make for exciting fights and he'd be potentially competing for a legitimate world title. Having said that, there's probably more money for him to be made at heavyweight just by challenging one of the Klitschkos than there is for him as a champion in the cruiserweight division.

I guess that's one silver living of the WBA being ludicrous and having a 'Super World Champion' in Wladimir and a 'Regular World Champion' in Povetkin. I don't buy Sauerland's claims that Povetkin will fight Wladimir in the near future, but I think that's a winnable fight for some of the smaller heavyweights. (Hell, I want a Povetkin/Huck rematch even though Sauerland probably have zero intention of making one.)

Thanks, I'll take a look for it. I'm keen to learn more about the boxing scene in general from the turn of the century until the Louis era. :thumbsup

 

Povetkin will never fight Wladimir, not unless a ridiculous offer is made.

If they weren't going to do it when he was in top form after the Chambers and Byrd fights, and Wlad looked gash against Iggy, they're not going to do it after he was nearly stopped in the late rounds by an average cruiserweight notorious for running out of gas, and Wlad showing no obvious signs of slipping.

To be honest, Wlad could probably be champion until he's about 50 years old with the current scene as it is.

 

I think holding Povetkin back from fighting Wladimir hasn't helped him in the slightest. He looked at his best physically against Chambers, and his conditioning has gradually gotten worse since. It can't boost your confidence when certain people around you are telling you you're not ready all the while training you to fight guys you're in no danger of losing to. If Povetkin had been put in with more heavyweights that posed a challenge to him then yeah, it'd have made sense to hold him back - but he wasn't, and he hasn't. He was all the fighter he was ever going to be a few years ago. The only difference now is he holds an alphabelt title and now Sauerland might just decide it's not worth the risk of him losing to put him in with Wladimir.

I suppose the flip side to that is that they might decide it'd be better to risk his '0' against one of the top dogs rather than risk an upset in a fight like last weekend's, but I doubt it.