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By Cliff Rold - It used to be common, almost taken for granted. There was money to be made at Light Heavyweight.
There was more at Heavyweight.
More than just money, there was more glory, more fame, more attention to be had.
There was also more man to tackle. So be it. The jump was made.
It is one of the great ironies of boxing history that arguably the two greatest Light Heavyweights of all time didn’t even win the world title in that class before capturing the sports highest honors. Gene Tunney and Ezzard Charles never managed to win the 175 lb. crown. Defeating Jack Dempsey and Jersey Joe Walcott, respectively, served them better.
Others, men who wore the Light Heavyweight crown, didn’t fare as well. Bob Foster was a monster at Light Heavyweight but found high quality foes above that line too much to bear. Tommy Loughran was a brilliant boxer but it didn’t help against the giant Primo Carnera. Billy Conn, the story goes in paraphrase, once joked with Joe Louis that Louis could have let him keep the title until at least a rematch.
Louis responded along the lines that Conn had the title for twelve rounds and couldn’t keep it for a fateful thirteenth.
Only one reigning Light Heavyweight champion ever won the true Heavyweight crown, Michael Spinks sneaking past Larry Holmes on the judge’s cards in 1985. Another, Roy Jones Jr., held a Light Heavyweight belt when he beat Heavyweight beltholder John Ruiz in 2003. [Click Here To Read More]
There was more at Heavyweight.
More than just money, there was more glory, more fame, more attention to be had.
There was also more man to tackle. So be it. The jump was made.
It is one of the great ironies of boxing history that arguably the two greatest Light Heavyweights of all time didn’t even win the world title in that class before capturing the sports highest honors. Gene Tunney and Ezzard Charles never managed to win the 175 lb. crown. Defeating Jack Dempsey and Jersey Joe Walcott, respectively, served them better.
Others, men who wore the Light Heavyweight crown, didn’t fare as well. Bob Foster was a monster at Light Heavyweight but found high quality foes above that line too much to bear. Tommy Loughran was a brilliant boxer but it didn’t help against the giant Primo Carnera. Billy Conn, the story goes in paraphrase, once joked with Joe Louis that Louis could have let him keep the title until at least a rematch.
Louis responded along the lines that Conn had the title for twelve rounds and couldn’t keep it for a fateful thirteenth.
Only one reigning Light Heavyweight champion ever won the true Heavyweight crown, Michael Spinks sneaking past Larry Holmes on the judge’s cards in 1985. Another, Roy Jones Jr., held a Light Heavyweight belt when he beat Heavyweight beltholder John Ruiz in 2003. [Click Here To Read More]
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