Would boxing be better with less divisions?

[Robbie Barrett]

8lbs was too much for your hero Lil G. 164........

[Tony Trick-Pony]

Would the sport be in a better position if divisions like jr lightweight, jr middleweight, super middleweight were scrapped? I dont see why theres so many divisions.

Is 6 pounds really that much between jr middle and middleweight for example, is it really some insurmountable weight difference? Is there that big a difference in stature between a 140 fighter and a 147 fighter? a 168 fighter and a 175 fighter?

I dont see why they couldnt just put in a few pounds of muscle, doubt the frame is that much different. And if you are slightly smaller, tough luck really, the size difference shouldnt mean that you cant compete.

After all, we have so many multi division world champions these days that i dont really think there is huge size differences between the divisions, and its obviously pretty easy to move up in weight if youve got the quality.

I dont really see it as a huge deal when someone moves up from jr lightweight to lightweight for example, they may aswell be the same ****ing division for all i care.

UFC havent bothered with all these junior and super divisions and that seems to be doing okay. If anything weight and pure physical strength is more important in there because of the grappling.

I feel all it does is stretch the quality in the sport, can get people yo-yo'ing in between divisions and some hiding out in weak divisions.

For example,

What you could be looking at is a light heavy division with kovalev, jack, stevenson, ward, degale, beterbiev, ramirez.

A middleweight division with golovkin, canelo, charlo, jacobs, eubank, andrade, lara, saunders, cotto.

Surely that would result in better fights throughout. And what you'd be looking it as solid fights throughout the division, even at fringe world level, because it would be literally twice as hard to get to the top of the division. WIth such depth to the divisions, mismatches would be more inexcusable

So what do people think? Is there really a need for these super and junior divisions? WHy were they brought in in the first place?

You'd have Crawford, Broner, Postol, Thurman, Garcia, Pacquiao, Porter, Spence, Brook at welterweight. There are way too many divisions. All juniors and supers can go to bring some respectability back to the sport. You'd have ten divisions instead of seventeen and that's twenty-eight less recognized titles out there which means the remaining forty get a lot more respect. I hope it happens. Been a long time coming.

[BM dnobagaV]

Well, Brook wouldn't have a lot of fun being a MW if he can't stay at 147. Spence would also get KOed by Alcine-caliber fighters at middleweight.

[original zero]

We need more weight divisions, something between light heavyweight and cruiserweight,175 to 200 is too much. Heavyweights are getting bigger and heavier every generation, maybe it's time for a super heavyweight division.

Cruiserweight was 190 for years. It was moved to 200 in hopes of making the division more marketable. It's always struggled to gain acceptance, especially in the US.

Heavyweight = unlimited. The real division with the real #1 fighter in the world. "Super heavyweight" has never made any sense because how do you have super unlimited? And if there's a weight limit, it's not really heavyweight then. That's one of the problems with MMA having a weight limit at heavyweight, it means you never actually find out who the best in the world is.

Humans continue to evolve though, and it's possible a Super Cruiserweight division could become necessary at some point. If every top heavyweight in the world is eventually 275 pounds, then Super Cruiserweight with a limit of 225 would make sense.

[iamboxing]

How would Canelo ever win a title?

[-PBP-]

Kind of. Dudes make up their own divisions nowadays so would it really matter?

[The Hammer]

Boxing would definitely be better with fewer divisions.

Get rid of 168, 154, 140, 130, 122, 115 and 108.



Keep minimumweight (105) so that very small men in East Asia and elsewhere can have a division to fight in.

Keep 200, but rename it "light heavyweight" and rename 175 "super middleweight.

[BoxingPugilist]

Would boxing be better with less divisions? Yes.

Would boxing be better with less titles? Yes.

Would boxing be better with less ducking? Yes.

18 weight classes, 4 sanctioning bodies, and top talent (and/or their promoters) coming up with every reason under the sun to avoid fighting. Too much, all of it, too much. People wonder why UFC is kicking boxing's ass in terms of ratings for televised events and average PPV numbers - it's because not every fighter they see walks out with 1-6 different belts - and Dana White (love him or hate him) forces fighters to fight each other because the UFC has a monopoly on the industry so where else can they go? It sucks for the fighters to lose that ability to control their own careers, but the fans get the fights they want to see more often than not. I firmly believe boxing would overtake MMA in 6 months to a year if they dropped half their weight classes, and there was only 1 (maybe 2) sanctioning bodies. Simplicity is best to introducing new comers.

[Reloaded]

The average sports fan is never going to be able to follow or take seriously 17 divisions. It definitely hampers the sport. I'm not saying go back to the original 8 divisions. I personally would cut back to 10. Which isn't something the organizations would ever do, but if PBC eventually has a monopoly of big time US boxing, maybe they would reduce the number of divisions to make the sport easier to follow. Perhaps something like this:

115 (FLYWEIGHT)
120 (BANTAMWEIGHT)
125 (FEATHERWEIGHT)
135 (LIGHTWEIGHT)
145 (WELTERWEIGHT)
155 (LIGHT MIDDLEWEIGHT)
165 (MIDDLEWEIGHT)
175 (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT)
200 (CRUISERWEIGHT)
UNL (HEAVYWEIGHT)

Fans don't follow divisions they follow fighters, a fighter needs to make big noises and be able to back them up, the division is irrelevant its the fighters appeal and performance that brings in fans they don't give a fck about divisions.

[KillaCamNZ]

Kind of. Dudes make up their own divisions nowadays so would it really matter?

This is true.

I think we're going to see more and more catchweight fights going forward - because divisions are only relevant due to the title that comes along with it..and as titles become more and more diluted, the need for a division disappears.

But then you've got ***** like middleweight title fights being held at catchweights, and everything gets ****ed up.

How can someone show they are the best 160lb'er by fighting at 155?