I’m talking about someone who never, ever weighed in at below or above the division’s limit in their entire professional careers — NOT who had the best resume among fights fought within the bridgerweight limits (unless that’s the only weight range in which they ever competed). So the division is between 200 and 224 pounds. So anyone who ever weighed in the 190s or below, or who ever weighed in at above 224 does NOT qualify for discussion here. Only fighters who spent their entire careers from 200-224 may apply. I am struggling to find a good answer. Muhammad Ali fought both below and above the limits. Same for Larry Holmes, who tipped the scale above 224 throughout his comeback fights after the second loss to Michael Spinks and weighed in the 190s for his early bouts. Also scratch off: Ken Norton (on the high end, just barely a few times toward the end of his career), Ezzard Charles, Joe Walcott, Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield and many more. I haven’t really even found a good candidate to put forth. So what say you, Classic forum? Who managed to walk the tightrope of this newer division from start to finish in his career?
I don't think anyone barring Usyk. I don't like the creation of this division. Joe Frazier weighed 224.5 lbs vs Foreman and 229 lbs vs Cummings. The Cummings was an ill fated comeback so i am willing to ignore that. It is fair to say that Frazier was between 200-215 for almost all of his best fights. This division is rather absurd though. The cruiserweight division was created so that under sized fighters like Jerry Quarry, Jimmy Ellis etc. (guys too big for 175 and yet small for heavies who did not have a big punch) could compete. However, this was rendered almost pointless when the cruiserweight limit went from 190 to 200 lbs and the prior day weigh ins meant that guys the size of Holmes and Ali were now able to fight guys the size of Quarry - opposite of the reason why the division was invented to begin with.
Usyk or Mike Tyson, although they don't meet your standards. But, in all fairness, calling them Bridgers is like calling Joe Louis a cruiser.
Wouldn't it be hard to find someone who was career-anything under those criteria, outside of heavyweights? Welterweight who never fought above or below welterweight limit etc. Must be rare, particulary for fighters with longer careers.. and most ATGs have long careers.
Looking down my top 20 at HW, a few got close, a couple very close. Sonny Liston weighed under 200lbs just once & over 224lbs just once. Jim Jeffries weighed 227lbs vs Jack Johnson, 6-years after he retired. He also weighed 195lbs in his 2nd fight, but otherwise all recorded weights are within range. In fact, every single one of McGrain's top 100 HWs had at least one fight where they weighed under 200lbs and/or over 224lbs. Duane Bobick weighed between 200-224lbs in each & every one of his pro contests. Can anyone name a HW "greater" than he, that weighed within that weight range for each one of their pro fights?
Sure, but other weight divisions don’t carry a 25-pound range. If it were a medium-sized (by today’s standards) heavyweight-range fighter’s goal to fit his career within that parameter, he should be able to do it unless he was at the top end of it and couldn’t make 224 as he got older. A welter mostly likely is going to outgrow that division at some point. I was wondering and started looking up some guys and it’s near-impossible to find a top-quality guy who stayed in that range from start to finish. So I figured I’d enlist some help.
Yeah, I think Larry Holmes was under 200 for his first fight and would have otherwise fit had he not made his comeback (barely over for Tyson, way over for some of his later fights). A lot of guys you have to dismiss out of hand because they had careers at light heavyweight and moved up and down — not to mention Jimmy Ellis, who was a middle for a good while. I think Ken Norton was the closest I found who didn’t quite fit the criteria.
