Should they have more of these? In the past, many great fighters around 190lb were able to not only hold their own, but dominate the heavyweight division. Tunney did it right? Schmeling? Langford? Charles? Conn? And im sure a dozen more I dont think they should force to the fighter make weight these days either.
The greater disparity in size between HW and LHW these days makes such a proposal unlikely. A 175lb LHW 50-100 years ago wasn't giving away as much weight against a 185-200lb HW as they are today. Todays HW's are alot bigger than thier ancestors were in general (though not necessarily better) and many of the LHW's today aren't as good as those that preceded them (just my own opinion). Roy Jones did it but against a carefully chosen opponent. Even if someone could pull it off how long could he expect to reign giving away so much size nowadays. Ruiz is one thing...Vlad and Vitaly are another entirely just as Foster found out in the 70's against Ali and Frazier.
People say this and may or may not be correct. But history suggests otherwise. Most light heavyweight champions who come up are more than capable of giving most heavyweight champions a run for their money. They dont always win, but if they are good enough at the lighter weights, they will nearly always be good enough to beat the majority of contenders at heavyweight. It isnt limited to the old days, either. Look at Michael Spinks who beat aging legend Larry Holmes, Michael Moorer who beat Evander (himself a former 190 lber), and even today the light heavyweight Adamek is holding his own against other heavyweights. Roy Jones and Toney are two others who did okay. IMO, if there was a standout light heavyweight, i would give him as good a chance as anyone else of beating the Klitchskos (not that this is necessarilly that high). In fact, arguably, Adamek might actually fit the bill.
