If the Cruiserweight Division didn't exist...

[billeau2]

That's what makes Fury so exciting to me, is doesn't really lose much and he is so big. He moves so well and has great reflexes and a good engine for his size, and he can use his reach because he has an educated jab.

Some try and say he has no power, but as RJJ said during the Wlad fight, big men hit hard period because of their size and the force they can produce.

Yes and he moves extremely well. he was in the ring since a young age and was taught skills, and does not generally try to get by on brawn. Fury has KO's, but it is true: he does not need to try to punch hard.

Hes also a character and I like the way he gets people riled. I find him quite amusing. I hope he is able to pull it together. As a young man he says things he probably shouldn't but its difficult being under the spotlight and he has that "imp" part of him itching to get people riled, like McGregor does.

[mlac]

being big 6'6+ doesnt necessarily mean you will automatically beat anyone who is smaller. it certainly helps if you wanna box on the backfoot ala fury style.

It's more on the 6'2 guys and below to get inside on the giants and try and cut the tree down, i would much rather see stricter rules on clinching so the small guy's actually have a chance to work the inside..

Its extremely rare we have ever seen a reff enforce the rules, just look at wlad (who best embodies the big man clinch game) V Povetkin.
Beyond ridiculous, he's allowed to clinch hundreds of times?

[mick1303]

I think, not only do we need it, but I'd like a 220lb division so that small heavies get a chance to shine and don't have to fight giants.

I like the idea in general. But don't like that Cruiser will span 25 lb (175-200) while new division will span only 20 (200-220). Maybe return to the old cruiser limit (190) and then make new division 190-215. Or smth similar (i.e 175-195, then 195-220). The higher the weight, the larger shall be the weight margin. This is also the reason why I don't like SMW limit. Shall be 167 rather than 168. For JMW 153 also looks more logical than 154.

[Jewish-Reptile]

I think, not only do we need it, but I'd like a 220lb division so that small heavies get a chance to shine and don't have to fight giants.

It would eliminate a lot of mismatches. Whilst Fury was waiting for a title shot he was pursuing Adamek when he still had his lofty IBF ranking, I think this was after we had been treated to Cunningham versus Fury already !

[elfag]

This big superheavyweight thing is a myth. You only really had lewis and the K brothers and they were all 240s at the end of their careers. pretty much everyone else north of 240 was unskilled or overweight slobs that should really be 220.

[SN!PER]

Eddie Chambers got screwed.

He couldn't compete with the big men, but he wasn't comfortable at cruiserweight.

[juggernaut666]

The cruiser weight division is needed and should actually expand to 220 bc not EVERYONE can punch . A few wins from a FEW smaller fighters doesnt set the measuring stick and why ppl STILL use Tyson is beyond me ,the guy was on another level both physically and how he was trained .,makes no sence at all.

Holyfield while very good also was ENCANCED to get to a solid point of 215 and hes really an olympic gold medalist (we all know that ) he also doesnt have many wins with guys over 225 so we dont know exactly if a higher weight of more guys would derail him bc he shined with guys under 230 .

Anyones k.os go down with fighting heavier guys ,this isnt going to change no matter how many select examples you list . Klitchko ,Tyson and Foreman is all the reference i would need to show that . When someone moves up in a heavier class the k.os do not come as easy this is fact . A FEW successful fighters at cruiser weight IF they had the ability to be relevant at HW doesnt remotely make an entire division hand waveable to dismiss. 95% of the CW 's would fall to rank for rank HW's .....of Course unless you use the Mike Tyson theory ,where bc Tyson ( who fought above 215) was a good short boxer on the small side weight wise means it must be very easy to to beat guys who are 6'3 plus who were around 230. lol

Can you find more than a handful of guys under 200 now to defeat modern relatively good Hw's??? I havent seen it. and anyone who thinks they have please list them and give a reason why.

[Tony Trick-Pony]

The cruiser weight division is needed and should actually expand to 220 bc not EVERYONE can punch . A few wins from a FEW smaller fighters doesnt set the measuring stick and why ppl STILL use Tyson is beyond me ,the guy was on another level both physically and how he was trained .,makes no sence at all.

Holyfield while very good also was ENCANCED to get to a solid point of 215 and hes really an olympic gold medalist (we all know that ) he also doesnt have many wins with guys over 225 so we dont know exactly if a higher weight of more guys would derail him bc he shined with guys under 230 .

Anyones k.os go down with fighting heavier guys ,this isnt going to change no matter how many select examples you list . Klitchko ,Tyson and Foreman is all the reference i would need to show that . When someone moves up in a heavier class the k.os do not come as easy this is fact . A FEW successful fighters at cruiser weight IF they had the ability to be relevant at HW doesnt remotely make an entire division hand waveable to dismiss. 95% of the CW 's would fall to rank for rank HW's .....of Course unless you use the Mike Tyson theory ,where bc Tyson ( who fought above 215) was a good short boxer on the small side weight wise means it must be very easy to to beat guys who are 6'3 plus who were around 230. lol

Can you find more than a handful of guys under 200 now to defeat modern relatively good Hw's??? I havent seen it. and anyone who thinks they have please list them and give a reason why.

Not being Sevngali, I can't predict what any fighter can or can't do. Anyone who thinks they can finds themselves wrong, usually over and over. So I won't name certain cruisers I think would beat the relatively good Hw's.

One observation I have is that since the cruiserweight division became 200 pounds, it seems now that there are fewer normal sized heavyweights. In essence the division is becoming a super sized division. No one under 6'6 holds a title anymore. There's a reason for it. I don't think it's because people are getting bigger or that the big men are getting better. I think it comes down to the division change.

[New England]

I don't watch boxing to see guys larger guys beat up on smaller ones.
As the old saying goes, the talented big guy beats the talented small guy.

hw is different. the genuinely massive punchers at HW have not exclusively been giants. shavers was only about 6' tall and weighed 210 lbs. joe louis was 6'2" and was about 205, even less when he was young. heck, george foreman, one of the most poweful and strong HW we ahve ever seen, was only around 220 in his prime and all lean muscle. it wasn't until he had retired for a decade and started to eat like a slob and lift weights that he turned into the giant we saw in his comeback.

shavers lacked the craft to deal with the giant HW most likely, but he'd certianly have the power to hurt these guys. he lacked the craft to deal with the not giant HW, too.

if you have legitimate power you only need to be around 200 lbs or so and make sure you're not punching way up in the air to be dangerous. the genuine bombers, tyson, louis, shavers, regardless fo their size would 100% knock wladimir klitschko into next week if they could get to him. louis, tyson, foreman would certainly be able to get to him.

for some perspective, a jigglier lamon brewster knocked wladimir out in their first fight. brewster, like joe louis, was 6'2" and had a 77" reach. if he trained like louis, who was a lean 15 round fighter who woke up and ran every day, he'd lose the 10 lbs of jiggle around his midsection and be absolutely identical in size. maybe he's got 5 lbs of natural size on louis. maybe.

is that 5 lbs an insurmountable gap in size that would allow brewster to knock out wladimir, but keep louis from doing it?


this guy couldn't knock out wladimir klitschko, tyson fury, or deontay wilder? did you see fury fight steve cunningham, a guy who didn't have pop at CW?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5zkE4BkMgg

keep in mind that max baer was a mountain of a man himself. just look at him. 6'2" and change, 220 lbs and lean. 80 inch reach. not much smaller than chris arreola, for instance, who had the chin and power to give vitali a tough fight.

[KingHippo]

I think, not only do we need it, but I'd like a 220lb division so that small heavies get a chance to shine and don't have to fight giants.

Second that. A super heavyweight division would be perfect. Merge the cruisers with everything below 220. Cruiserweight becomes heavyweight and automatically becomes more marketable. Great for the sport.