...In historic terms, shouldn't they be compared to Cruiserweight Champs? Ezzard Charles, Joe Walcott, Gene Tunny and all the sub 200 lb fighters of yesteryear, same thing.
Not one bit. They were classic sized heavyweights before bodybuilding and PED's ruined boxing. 80% of today’s heavyweights with 1950s training and diet would also be 200lb. A cruiser weight is a either a naturally sized classic heavyweight who doesn’t make the grade against the bodybuilders or a light heavyweight. Talented fighters who by nature would be classic sized heavyweights build up to match giants on the scales. Take David haye. He is not 6'3'' he is about 6'1''. He would be pushing 175lb with his natural frame if he fought in the 1940s. In the old days all fighters did the same runs and training. All men followed the same programme. After a six week camp training on the same diet and running with men of all sizes you were what you weighed. a heavyweight was a tall guy who looked like a middleweight but was in proportion. that is no longer the case. The lower weight classes cheat the scales and the bigger guys build up bigger or cut down to be the biggest they can be in the lowest class they can physically fight at. Today a heavyweight is a bodybuilder. It never used to be. A light heavyweight was not a natural species. It was a division for tall middleweights who filled out as they got older. It never took off because most could make 180 and would sooner aim for the bigger money as a 190 pounder. If you were 169lb you were a small heavyweight. The LH title existed but the division in practice did not. Thats why all ''lightheavyweghts'' fought heavyweights up until about 1970. The division was not exclusive. Today a lightheavyweigt is what used to be 1980s cruiserweight - short heavyweights who were not good enough to fight the best fighters within their natural their weight class. A modern cruiserweight is yesterdays light heavy. If you think I am wrong about all this ask yourself where all the 5'7'' middleweights went to? I will tell you. The 140lb division. Ask where all the 5'10 light heavyweights went to? I will tell you, either the Light middle weight class or the cruiserweight division. Ask where all the 6' heavyweights went to? Often the super middleweight class. Depending on the talent and what money they want to chase.
Nobody cares about the cruiserweights, not even the cruiserweights, which is why they pack on lard in order to compete as heavyweights. I guess a 220 lb bloated Marciano would be a more "serious" heavyweight even though such an increase in weight could be no good for his fighting abilities. Either way boxers should be rated based on the era they were in, not based on the era we are in. That's just short-sightedness.
They were rated as Heavyweights back then so shall they still be rated as such now. We can't just switch around history because we don't agree with it. Plus a lot of times these guys fought well against larger heavyweights of their time.
The one thing the Classic Forum has taught me is that weight divisions are a false and useless construct.
I would say yes and no. They fought in the heavyweight divison. While I think they would have a lot of trubble with bigger stronger faster heavyweights. Because they fought as heavyweights when comparing carears/resumes you do so against other heavyweights. In terms of head to head match ups. I think it is more reasonable to compare them to curiserweights more than heavyweights.
They fought as heavyweights and they were never under the CW banner. They must be included as heavyweights because for that time,they were. Plus,Dempsey and Marciano had sick HW power. Dempsey beat up a guy as big as Klitschko and Marciano beat a few guys who were as heavy as 250 pounds!
