Thread: time for another weight class?

apologies if there is a thread already on this but

isnt it time we had a super heavyweight weight class, i mean its getting abit ridiculous the size of some of these guys in the heavyweight division, basically u can be any weight to fight in the heavys

i mean valuev weighs 310lb+ & heavys start @ 200lb

these big guys are generally ruling the division now, & its ruining the division

if not a super heavy division then maybe increase the weights of the cruiserweights from 175 to 200 or something, or increase all of the weights in the divisions as we all know that we all getting bigger nowadays.

what do u fellas think i know there is 17 weight divisions already but that aint the problem i dont think, its that there is so many different belts in each division.

I think it would be better if guys at heavyweight came to fight IN SHAPE for a change...I would imagine that an in shape fighter would be tougher for a monster like Valuev to beat.

Originally Posted by Drago

apologies if there is a thread already on this but

isnt it time we had a super heavyweight weight class, i mean its getting abit ridiculous the size of some of these guys in the heavyweight division, basically u can be any weight to fight in the heavys

i mean valuev weighs 310lb+ & heavys start @ 200lb

these big guys are generally ruling the division now, & its ruining the division

if not a super heavy division then maybe increase the weights of the cruiserweights from 175 to 200 or something, or increase all of the weights in the divisions as we all know that we all getting bigger nowadays.

what do u fellas think i know there is 17 weight divisions already but that aint the problem i dont think, its that there is so many different belts in each division.

Think Haye showed in his fight with Valuev that you dont have to be big to win.

Also Holyfield has been beating bigger men for years.

Originally Posted by Drago

apologies if there is a thread already on this but

isnt it time we had a super heavyweight weight class, i mean its getting abit ridiculous the size of some of these guys in the heavyweight division, basically u can be any weight to fight in the heavys

i mean valuev weighs 310lb+ & heavys start @ 200lb

these big guys are generally ruling the division now, & its ruining the division

if not a super heavy division then maybe increase the weights of the cruiserweights from 175 to 200 or something, or increase all of the weights in the divisions as we all know that we all getting bigger nowadays.

what do u fellas think i know there is 17 weight divisions already but that aint the problem i dont think, its that there is so many different belts in each division.

No and no.

Firstly the Cruiserweight division is already 200 lbs, its the light heavyweight division that is 175.

Secondly all of the true giants in the heavyweight division are fucking shit! Why in the world would you want a superheavyweight division where the likes of Nikolay Valuev, Tye Fields and Julius Long could fight each other for world titles? Hell even Butterbean would probably come back and get a title shot.

Mass doesn't give much advantage above a certain point. Guys like Valuev are disadvantaged in so many ways because their size makes them so slow and ponderous.

If a superheavyweight giant can be beaten by a chinny cruiserweight moving up then we absolutely do not need a superheavyweight division and the opportunity for these mediocre big men to win more world titles.

Now if you said lets impose a 275 lb limit on the heavyweight divison, and those too big just can't compete I would have been much more agreeable

I think the weight thing needs to be looked at, I mean, how can is it fair for a HW to give up almost 100lbs or more to fight a monster like Valuev, yet they wouldn't be able to carry an advantage like that into the ring against someone fighting out of a lower weight class. I agree with Lyle, part of the problem is that so many HWs are out of shape. Part of the problem is that they don't have to watch their weight because they don't have to come in under a set limit. I don't think its any coincidence that the fighters at HW that get themselves into shape are the ones at the top of the division now. I think there are too many weight classes, but i agree that too many belts are the main problem. People can't identify with fighters when theres 4 champions at each weight. Whether it involves creating a new weight or just changing some of the limits at the top i think it needs to be looked at

I go with Bilbo on that one, passed a certain point, weight doesn't mean nothing from a human perspective, I would even say that it is getting better not to carry too much in order to be more mobile and faster. To fight to full capacities, Valuev would have to drop at least 40 pounds, he would then have more stamina, speed and mobility. At this stage, being the monster of the monster is impressive, looks good on promotion but doesn't help anymore on the ring.

I agree with Bilbo on this one. At a certain point weight starts to become a disadvantage and having a super heavyweight division would make for horrendous outings. You may get a giant who comes along who is actually good but that fighter would not have a class to make for any exciting fight. There are too many divisions in boxing and they need to be downsized. The upper weights aren't so bad but the lower weights are in dire need of being downsized. In the amateurs the first 10 weight classes are separated by 95 pounds. In the pros the first 10 weight classes are separated by a mere 35 pounds. Ridiculous.

Well, on one hand, a larger heavyweight could have an advantage over a smaller one if he is in good shape, has the right amout of muscle mass, has a long reach, and a height advantage.

Of course the height advantage will make it harder for smaller opponents to land head shots. The long reach will possibly make it hard for the smaller opponent to get on the inside.

Really Im sure most of us are only thinking about the Klitschko brothers here, since they are the only ones who seem to carry all the goods... which isnt usually the case for such large fighters.

I think when more boxers like those 2 slowly find their way into boxing then eventually some adjustments might have to be made. I think physically, the Klitschkos are physically ahead (before we even consider their skill) of the game. But perhaps they are a preview of what the heavyweight division could expect in the future. Just speculating.

Originally Posted by ninjaspy3

Well, on one hand, a larger heavyweight could have an advantage over a smaller one if he is in good shape, has the right amout of muscle mass, has a long reach, and a height advantage.

Of course the height advantage will make it harder for smaller opponents to land head shots. The long reach will possibly make it hard for the smaller opponent to get on the inside.

Really Im sure most of us are only thinking about the Klitschko brothers here, since they are the only ones who seem to carry all the goods... which isnt usually the case for such large fighters.

I think when more boxers like those 2 slowly find their way into boxing then eventually some adjustments might have to be made. I think physically, the Klitschkos are physically ahead (before we even consider their skill) of the game. But perhaps they are a preview of what the heavyweight division could expect in the future. Just speculating.

I can agree with that. Maybe when we have more talented giants like the Klitschkos we can go down this road. Right now if people think there is no talent in the heavys now then think about how dismal a super heavy weight class would be.

Originally Posted by Nameless

I go with Bilbo on that one, passed a certain point, weight doesn't mean nothing from a human perspective, even that it is getting better not to carry too much to be more mobile and faster. To fight fully, Valuev would have to drop at least 40 pounds, would have more stamina, speed and mobility. At this stage, being the monster of the monster is impressive, look good on promotion but doesn't help anymore on the ring.

I don't think Valuev can drop 40lbs. I highly doubt the guy is capable of doing a significant amount of road work. Even though they weight around the same, Valuev's weight is detrimental to his body type as opposed to Shaquille O'Neil who has been running up and down a basketball court for years. Even now Shaq's body is starting to break down and I wouldn't be surprised if he has arthritic hips when he gets into his forties.
Plus look at Nikolay. He looks like a different breed of human, his porportions are all off. He may well be eating and exercising to his optimal ability and that's just the end result. The guy's got a carpet across his back for crap's sake.

Guys let's put something into perspective here, who are the BIG heavies who its supposedly unfair for them to be in the division?

I cannot think of a fighter in the whole history of boxing who was too big for the heavyweight division, in terms of the other heavyweights not being able to count with his size.

As I said before go above 260 lbs and there is nobody in the history of the sport who was any good.

ALL of the best heavyweights ever were reasonably sized.

Wladimir averages just over 240 lbs a fight. George Forman weighed over 250 lbs for his fight with Evander Holyfield, and weighed in over 220 in his prime, hardly a weight disadvantage.

Even Ali at his heaviest weighed in within a few pounds of how much Wlad regularly weighs.

These so called supersize heavyweights arn't really much bigger than the old greats, 10-15 lbs or so compared to the golden years of Foreman and Ali.

Vitali is a bit bigger around 250, but that's a fair upper size limit imo, Lennox was certainly able to hold his own with him.

The real giants above 275lbs are shockingly poor. In the whole history of boxing there has never been a great heavyweight above 275 lbs.

Simply put, 250 lbs is probably the maximum upper limit for a human being to weigh and be effective as a boxer. Beyond that extra bodyweight just detracts from other factors such as speed, mobility, stamina, skill and coordination etc.

If you made a superheavyweight division, all you would do is give opportunity to mediocre fighters, not even decent domestic level to become world champions.

Imo you would even have MMA freaks like that Hong man Choi, former Sumo star Akebono and Giant Silva all turning to professional boxing and fighting for WBC and WBA world titles

If we had a superheavyweight division this would be our future champs.

GIANT SILVA



Hong Man Choi




Akebono




Seriously, would ANYONE want these representing the highest weight class in our sport?

Originally Posted by Bilbo

Guys let's put something into perspective here, who are the BIG heavies who its supposedly unfair for them to be in the division?

I cannot think of a fighter in the whole history of boxing who was too big for the heavyweight division, in terms of the other heavyweights not being able to count with his size.

As I said before go above 260 lbs and there is nobody in the history of the sport who was any good.

ALL of the best heavyweights ever were reasonably sized.

Wladimir averages just over 240 lbs a fight. George Forman weighed over 250 lbs for his fight with Evander Holyfield, and weighed in over 220 in his prime, hardly a weight disadvantage.

Even Ali at his heaviest weighed in within a few pounds of how much Wlad regularly weighs.

These so called supersize heavyweights arn't really much bigger than the old greats, 10-15 lbs or so compared to the golden years of Foreman and Ali.

Vitali is a bit bigger around 250, but that's a fair upper size limit imo, Lennox was certainly able to hold his own with him.

The real giants above 275lbs are shockingly poor. In the whole history of boxing there has never been a great heavyweight above 275 lbs.

Simply put, 250 lbs is probably the maximum upper limit for a human being to weigh and be effective as a boxer. Beyond that extra bodyweight just detracts from other factors such as speed, mobility, stamina, skill and coordination etc.

If you made a superheavyweight division, all you would do is give opportunity to mediocre fighters, not even decent domestic level to become world champions.

Imo you would even have MMA freaks like that Hong man Choi, former Sumo star Akebono and Giant Silva all turning to professional boxing and fighting for WBC and WBA world titles

If we had a superheavyweight division this would be our future champs.

GIANT SILVA



Hong Man Choi




Akebono




Seriously, would ANYONE want these representing the highest weight class in our sport?

Good post totally agree.

Boxing needs less weight divisions; not more.

Originally Posted by Lance Uppercut

Boxing needs less weight divisions; not more.

Right on m'man
Cut out a lot of these bull jr. divisions

some good posts here, & they all make sense. what i was thinking was a superheavy divison cos i wouldnt have to watch all these useless twats ever again