Opetaia, Smith, Ramirez. Seems like a pretty good division to me. I wonder why this division doesn't get more attention.
To an extent I agree. Although after those three it gets to be retreads fast, some of them are pretty good retreads, and David Nyika is promising. This is a division that would benefit from unification. There is enough talent to support a good division with one champ...but not four.
B/c it's boxing's second division. It used to be a place for apprentice Heavyweights & overweight / has been Light Heavies. Like Super Middleweight, the division was created so second-rate European fighters could win world titles. Back in the day, (Western) European fighters couldn't win world titles against Americans at Heavyweight, Light Heavy or Middleweight. So they created a couple of new divisions that weren't dominated by Americans so they could. Americans would fight at Cruiser or Super Middle but only when they were starting out or passing through. Some didn't even bother passing through (Michael Spinks & Michael Moorer are cases in point). Times have changed & we have seen A-level guys set up shop there (Usyk & Canelo). Still not many Americans.
Doesn't have the tradition of HW or LHW and its taking talent from both weight classes to create a 3rd. Fighters at 175-200 would historically be HWs or LHWs. LHW boxings traditional 2nd division gets 7 pounds while CW gets 25. Its a tweener division and people don't like tweener divisions in general but the other tweeners can be more easily hopped over and ignored. I like Bridgerweight better as a concept because the higher limit means its only taking away from HW and good fighters at 200-225 are going to go to HW anyway.
Because it’s an unnecessary division. No elite talent with good management and money behind them will ever stay in the division as history has proven.
It's not the names, it's the division itself. No matter who fought in Bridgerweight, the division would never receive credit. CW is too new of a division and seen as unnecessary. Spinks jumped up and claimed HW gold not long before the division was created.
I honestly think it's the name. Cruiserweight. Wtf? I know it's a naval term. Light heavyweight sounds like what Cruiserweight should be.
It should be abolished like the other jr and super divisions. They are just sucking the talent away from the other divisions and having more champions generally milking their titles Or get one champ per division in which case cruiser will still suck but less so.
But what if you have guys too big for 175 and yet don't have the height/reach for heavyweight? Someone like Jerry Quarry, who was too big for 175, but at just 5'10 and not being particularly quick, would really struggle vs 6'7 giants.
I would say a 5'7 guy should probably try to make light heavy in 2024 Here are the heights of boxrecs top 10 cruisers Ramirez, 6'2 Cbs 6'3 Jai 6'2 Cieslak 6'3 Papin 6'1 Riakporhe 6'5 Masternak 6'1 Cinkara 6'3 Salamov 6'3 Edit: also I would think there are only a handful of guys like Quarry and Qawi.
Yes. Most of these guys are basically 70's heavyweights. I still think that although there are only a handful of guys like Quarry, it does matter to those who don't have the height\power to compete at heavyweight, especially in the modern era of giants. It would be too hard for them to compete. Joe Frazier is another one. He was 205 lbs at his peak. Could he knock out 250 lb + men? Sure, he had excellent power. But in the modern era, with excessive clinching often allowed, the 6'7 giants like Wlad would make it virtually impossible for that to happen. Unless the fight is referred properly. I can't help but think that perhaps Frazier would be better off draining himself down to 200 lbs instead of being pushed and shoved by Wlad for 12 rounds.
I will gladly concede to keeping cruiserweight a division if we get rid of the other jr and super divisions
The thing with Quarry is he was big enough for HW he just didn't win belts. He almost won a belt in the toughest era of HW. If Quarry truly couldn't make LHW(doubtful) he could go to Bridgerweight and wouldn't have to fight the 6 ft 7 giants. The 6 ft 7 giants are still rare. We've had Fury, Wilder, Valuev and Grant. Am I missing someone? The biggest HWs aren't really getting bigger the biggest HWs are getting more common.