Middleweight is historically considered the second most important weight class

[Rusty Tromboni]

I assumed 'important' here meant popular with the fans/press (thus the ability to draw a big gate) that's why I went with LW, more big names.

Great point.


I think it's often owed to skill.

Each of these men was considered the P4P Best in his day:

McAuliffe
Gans
McFarland
Leonard
Canzoneri
Armstrong
Duran
Chavez
Whitaker
Mayweather
Lomachenko

And that's not including guys who were almost THAT guy: Welsh, Williams, Ortiz, Buchanan, etc.

[Willie Pep 229]

Light Heavyweight enjoys the best of both Worlds:
- Like Heavyweights, fighters more often tend to have sudden fight-ending power; and longevity.
- Like lower division fighters, Light Heavyweights tend to have skills; and athleticism and stamina.

That's somewhat yrue of Middleweight, but most true of LHw.

I think it's also benfited over time, as the average size of humans, particularly in developed nations, has grown significantly.

Fury is 100 pounds heavier than Light Heavyweights who made weight ring-side.

Maybe we should have a maximum weight as they now do in high school wrestling. No more unlimited weigh-class. --- Maybe it would be best for the game to not allow freaks like Fury to participate.

[Willie Pep 229]

And that's not including guys who were almost THAT guy: Welsh, Williams, Ortiz, Buchanan, etc.

Rocky Kansas

[Rusty Tromboni]

Rocky Kansas

Possibly the most underrated fighter of all- time.

If there's one fight of Leonard's we'd benefit from seeing, it would probably be against Kansas.

[Rusty Tromboni]

Maybe we should have a maximum weight as they now do in high school wrestling. No more unlimited weigh-class. --- Maybe it would be best for the game to not allow freaks like Fury to participate.

Fury still comes in below 285, of course.

It's mostly for the participant's health.

I do like Wrestling weight classes, or something similar, being applied to Boxing, though.

[Dariusz]

IMO, there are much too many weight classes. Therefore, middle and welter is the same for me. Lightweight should be 3rd and Featherweight the 4th. And that's it.

[Willie Pep 229]

Fury still comes in below 285, of course.

It's mostly for the participant's health.

I do like Wrestling weight classes, or something similar, being applied to Boxing, though.

Ah! Na! I was just screwing with you. I suspect we will eventually see (well I won't, I'm 65) 300 lb plus fighters who move like Fury does now. Unless for some reason we culturally role backwards and our diet, nutrition wise, collapses (like say from a pandemic or something LOL) the human race is going to continue to experience explosive size growth.

It use to be that seven foot men looked like Wilt or Jabbar, kind of freakish. Today 7' 3" men have the proportional bodies of a middleweight.

Are you the one who said, 'ah screw it, we should let all the athletes use 'roids' ? -- If so I am not sure I disagree with you.

What's going to happen when they can add these 'juices' and they are not debilitating to the man's health? (Because 'big pharma' will likely get us there.) What reason then will we use for 'not juicing' ?

[Rusty Tromboni]

IMO, there are much too many weight classes. Therefore, middle and welter is the same for me. Lightweight should be 3rd and Featherweight the 4th. And that's it.

How are there too many different classes?

Did you Wrestle growing up? Did you not notice ther difference a couple pounds makes?

I think there aren't enough. Maybe certain weight classes are unnecessary and the spacing is jacked-up. But don't throw the baby out with the bath water. (Get rid of the teenagers as quick as you can, though).

[them_apples]

after Heavyweight. Coincidentally the first two weight classes that were introduced (1884).

What is historically considered the third most important weight class?

Lightweight (1886)
Light Heavyweight (1913)
Welterweight (1914)

historically,

HW,
WW,
MW?

I know welter is considered the p4p class because of its balance of speed and power, and competition being pulled by the bigger pool of "average man" sized opponents available at welterweight.

a welterweight is your typical 160- 170 walk around man, 5 ft 7- 5 ft 11 obviously all things considered in regards to a persons body make up. A lot of people you meet can make welterweight. The old coaches used to take a new fighter and look at his wrists and height to determine his weight class.

Where as heavyweight was and is a rarity, plenty of people over 200 but not many of them are actually heavyweights or could compete effectively at the weight. Most "heavyweights" should actually be light heavies or just plain small heavies.

Considering the majority of heavyweights when retired ended up being anywhere from 260-400 lbs.

Larry Holmes looks well over 300, Ali just during his first retirement was nearly 250 lbs. Foreman well over 300 (foreman didn't even look that fat at 300), Douglas hit 400 and so did Briggs (they were obese), even Tyson hit almost 280 at one point.

Welterweight however is the average sized mans weight class.
Even middleweight is not the majority if the person is actually in "boxing shape".

[QueensburyRules]

historically,

HW,
WW,
MW?

I know welter is considered the p4p class because of its balance of speed and power, and competition being pulled by the bigger pool of "average man" sized opponents available at welterweight.

a welterweight is your typical 160- 170 walk around man, 5 ft 7- 5 ft 11 obviously all things considered in regards to a persons body make up. A lot of people you meet can make welterweight. The old coaches used to take a new fighter and look at his wrists and height to determine his weight class.

Where as heavyweight was and is a rarity, plenty of people over 200 but not many of them are actually heavyweights or could compete effectively at the weight. Most "heavyweights" should actually be light heavies or just plain small heavies.

Considering the majority of heavyweights when retired ended up being anywhere from 260-400 lbs.

Larry Holmes looks well over 300, Ali just during his first retirement was nearly 250 lbs. Foreman well over 300 (foreman didn't even look that fat at 300), Douglas hit 400 and so did Briggs (they were obese), even Tyson hit almost 280 at one point.

Welterweight however is the average sized mans weight class.
Even middleweight is not the majority if the person is actually in "boxing shape".

- -Our resident TightieBoy hit 300 in rasslin' shape. P4P!