WBC Creates A New Weight Division

[DrDuke]

I don't even know what to say... Bridgerweight... Oh, my... Is it Apr 1 today or what? Sulaiman is a f**king idiot. What a disgrace...

[RScarf1]

Bridgeweight. What the eff is that supposed to mean?

Are they really going to call it like that? Sounds ridiculous, I hope that You are joking.

It's actually going to be called bridgerweight. The WBC is using the first name of the boy that saved his sister from a dog attack and the WBC gave him an honorary belt. His name is Bridger Walker. Also, the division is called bridger because the WBC feels that it serves as a necessary bridge for the boxers who weigh 200-224 pounds. The WBC's concern is that heavyweights today weigh more. The examples of boxers that the WBC uses to justify this new weight class are mostly retired: Hasim Rahman (238 pounds), Lennox Lewis (253), Oleg Maskaev (238), Samuel Peter (250), and Vitali Klitschko (247).

They mention active boxers Bermane Stiverne (239) and Tyson Fury (273), but also Deontay Wilder (219) which doesn't make sense to me because Wilder usually fights at 224 or less. The WBC even listed his weight as 219 which is what he weighed for his rematch against Luis Ortiz. Therefore, Wilder would be in this new division unless he weighed more than 224 which he does sometimes. The WBC stated that they will contact boxers who compete in the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions to confirm what division they wish to be listed for the rankings. They also stated that any fighter listed at bridgerweight may compete in the heavyweight division.

I looked at the BoxRec top 10 and they usually fight around 240-260 and sometimes about 270. There are exceptions such as Wilder and Oleksandr Usyk who used to be a cruiserweight. The WBC stated that the heavyweight division was originally 176 pounds or more. Therefore, heavyweight champions such as Rocky Marciano and Jack Dempsey would have been cruiserweights if they were fighting today. Cruiserweight went from a maximum weight of 190 to 195 to 200, so the weights have changed in the past for the two highest weight classes.

[ldlamb]

Some things are so ridiculously dumb that you can’t believe a sentient human came up with it.

[oogiebe]

Some things are so ridiculously dumb that you can’t believe a sentient human came up with it.

A sentient human didn't. Sulaiman and Bellow did.

[aicheligad]

Bridgeweight. What the eff is that supposed to mean?

Are they really going to call it like that? Sounds ridiculous, I hope that You are joking.

It's actually going to be called bridgerweight. The WBC is using the first name of the boy that saved his sister from a dog attack and the WBC gave him an honorary belt. His name is Bridger Walker. Also, the division is called bridger because the WBC feels that it serves as a necessary bridge for the boxers who weigh 200-224 pounds. The WBC's concern is that heavyweights today weigh more. The examples of boxers that the WBC uses to justify this new weight class are mostly retired: Hasim Rahman (238 pounds), Lennox Lewis (253), Oleg Maskaev (238), Samuel Peter (250), and Vitali Klitschko (247).

They mention active boxers Bermane Stiverne (239) and Tyson Fury (273), but also Deontay Wilder (219) which doesn't make sense to me because Wilder usually fights at 224 or less. The WBC even listed his weight as 219 which is what he weighed for his rematch against Luis Ortiz. Therefore, Wilder would be in this new division unless he weighed more than 224 which he does sometimes. The WBC stated that they will contact boxers who compete in the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions to confirm what division they wish to be listed for the rankings. They also stated that any fighter listed at bridgerweight may compete in the heavyweight division.

I looked at the BoxRec top 10 and they usually fight around 240-260 and sometimes about 270. There are exceptions such as Wilder and Oleksandr Usyk who used to be a cruiserweight. The WBC stated that the heavyweight division was originally 176 pounds or more. Therefore, heavyweight champions such as Rocky Marciano and Jack Dempsey would have been cruiserweights if they were fighting today. Cruiserweight went from a maximum weight of 190 to 195 to 200, so the weights have changed in the past for the two highest weight classes.

Well, this boy saved his sister from a dog, fine. But what this story, and this boy, has in common with boxing?

~220lbs weight class? Fine, maybe it's a good idea. More weight classes? No, it's a terrible idea, more weight classes is about as bad as having more and more belts. I think that 12 would be enough. This is how I think it should be:

Minimumweight - 47kg or 104lbs
Flyweight - 49kg or 108lbs
Bantamweight - 52kg or 114lbs
Featherweight - 56kg or 122lbs
Lightweight - 60kg or 130lbs
Super Lightweight - 64kg or 140lbs
Welterweight - 69kg or 152lbs
Middleweight - 75kg or 165lbs
Super Middleweight - 81kg or 180lbs
Light Heavyweight - 90kg or 200lbs
Cruiserweight - 100kg or 220lbs
Heavyweight - No Limit

Now, let's see the theoretical rosters of these categories:

Minimumweight - Just as current Minimumweight (who cares about this category anyway? not a lot of people, I guess)

Flyweight - see above

Bantamweight - Estrada, Gonzalez, Tanaka, Rungvisai, Cuadras, Ioka

Featherweight - Inoue, Nery, Oubaali, Vargas, Donaire, Rigondeaux, Akhmadaliev

Lightweight - Lomachenko, Berchelt, Warrington, Valdez, Santa Cruz, Frampton, Navarrete, Stevenson, Russell, Diaz, Galahad, Farmer, Rakhimov

Super Lightweight - Lopez, Taylor, Davis, J. C. Ramirez, M. Garcia, Prograis, Haney, Zepeda, R. Garcia, Postol, Easter

Welterweight - Crawford, Spence, Pacquiao, Thurman, Porter, D. Garcia, Jermell Ch., Castano, Brook, Hurd, Lara, Ugas, Abdukakhorov, Tszyu

Middleweight - Alvarez, Golovkin, Jermall Ch., Andrade, Jacobs, Munguia, Saunders, Murata, Derevyanchenko, Plant, Benavidez

Super Middleweight - Beterbiev, Bivol, C. Smith, Kovalyov, G. Ramirez, J. Smith, Vlasov, Buatsi

Light Heavyweight - Briedis, Makabu, Głowacki, Dorticos, Goulamirian, Cieślak, Gevor, Lerena, Papin, Masternak, Mchunu (some of them like Briedis, Dorticos or Cieślak would eventually move up, I guess)

Cruiserweight - Usyk, Wilder, Hunter, Gassiev, Okolie (You can add old Povetkin, maybe in-shape Ruiz too)

Heavyweight - Fury, Joshua, Povetkin, Pulev, Whyte, Parker, Ruiz, Ortiz, Rivas, Hrgović, Joyce, Yoka (of course, virtually everyone from the division below can try his best in HW - especially the top fighters like Usyk, most of them would eventually move up, just as current CW's do. With such a CW limit they could jump from one category to another from fight to fight.)

These categories look great imo. The only concern is the CW division - what I wrote above

[jujigatame]

That defeats the whole point of Gassiev, Hunter, and Usyk moving up to HW. They didn't move up because they couldn't make weight, they moved up because they wanted the prestige and challenge of fighting in the top weight class.

[gilgamesh]

Any idea where you're putting the Heavyweight division at below 220 is a goddamn disgrace. Even making it below 205 is a disgrace.

[aicheligad]

That defeats the whole point of Gassiev, Hunter, and Usyk moving up to HW. They didn't move up because they couldn't make weight, they moved up because they wanted the prestige and challenge of fighting in the top weight class.

Some people think that some of the obese HW's will finally put in shape and will move down - I'm not too convinced about that. CW will get weaker, HW will get slighty weaker, in return, we will have additional, very poor category.

[jujigatame]

That defeats the whole point of Gassiev, Hunter, and Usyk moving up to HW. They didn't move up because they couldn't make weight, they moved up because they wanted the prestige and challenge of fighting in the top weight class.

Some people think that some of the obese HW's will finally put in shape and will move down - I'm not too convinced about that. CW will get weaker, HW will get slighty weaker, in return, we will have additional, very poor category.

Exactly, it's an awful move for the sport.

[oogiebe]

Pretty soon a fighter can defend their belt...run to take a crap...and challenge for another belt at a lower division.

[Paci]

Any idea where you're putting the Heavyweight division at below 220 is a goddamn disgrace. Even making it below 205 is a disgrace.

Nah, I like it. Sort of, things need to change. Also, Heavyweights are huge and rasing it to 220, is well, not a bad idea, since rather throw out weights then having an 18th one for them sweet sancitioning fees, The WBA knows what Im talking about. And if we need to change it, and throw out SuperBantam and JrFly, Im all for it. Less fees for the asian market, is the biggest thing that would happend.
And looking at what the boxingnerd put out, it would be more prestige in becoming a 2 div champ again.

[Paci]

Pretty soon a fighter can defend their belt...run to take a crap...and challenge for another belt at a lower division.

Or just fight for the WBC special Catchweight Honorary Championship

[gilgamesh]

Any idea where you're putting the Heavyweight division at below 220 is a goddamn disgrace. Even making it below 205 is a disgrace.

Nah, I like it. Sort of, things need to change. Also, Heavyweights are huge and rasing it to 220, is well, not a bad idea, since rather throw out weights then having an 18th one for them sweet sancitioning fees, The WBA knows what Im talking about. And if we need to change it, and throw out SuperBantam and JrFly, Im all for it. Less fees for the asian market, is the biggest thing that would happend.
And looking at what the boxingnerd put out, it would be more prestige in becoming a 2 div champ again.

If things need to change, maybe Boxing needs to just die.

If the tradition of the greatest sport in the world ain't good enough. Maybe the sport ain't good enough.

[oogiebe]

Any idea where you're putting the Heavyweight division at below 220 is a goddamn disgrace. Even making it below 205 is a disgrace.

Nah, I like it. Sort of, things need to change. Also, Heavyweights are huge and rasing it to 220, is well, not a bad idea, since rather throw out weights then having an 18th one for them sweet sancitioning fees, The WBA knows what Im talking about. And if we need to change it, and throw out SuperBantam and JrFly, Im all for it. Less fees for the asian market, is the biggest thing that would happend.
And looking at what the boxingnerd put out, it would be more prestige in becoming a 2 div champ again.

If things need to change, maybe Boxing needs to just die.

If the tradition of the greatest sport in the world ain't good enough. Maybe the sport ain't good enough.

It won't stop here either, I fear.

[Paci]

Any idea where you're putting the Heavyweight division at below 220 is a goddamn disgrace. Even making it below 205 is a disgrace.

Nah, I like it. Sort of, things need to change. Also, Heavyweights are huge and rasing it to 220, is well, not a bad idea, since rather throw out weights then having an 18th one for them sweet sancitioning fees, The WBA knows what Im talking about. And if we need to change it, and throw out SuperBantam and JrFly, Im all for it. Less fees for the asian market, is the biggest thing that would happend.
And looking at what the boxingnerd put out, it would be more prestige in becoming a 2 div champ again.

If things need to change, maybe Boxing needs to just die.

If the tradition of the greatest sport in the world ain't good enough. Maybe the sport ain't good enough.

I do understand that you are pissed at the Org creating more BS-weights, no shit. F*ck those guys. They are killing the sport more or less with their inbreed politics.

[Perkin Warbeck]

This absurd new division is another blow to the sport of boxing, at a time when the sport is already suffering because of the Covid restrictions.

I hate the WBC. All they want is more money from sanctioning fees, they place less importance on what is best for the sport overall, for the boxers and their fans.

[margaret thatcher]

bridgerweight

[Enlightened-One]

Within the next ten to fifteen years, the other governing bodies (WBA, WBO & IBF) will inevitably follow the WBC’s lead by creating their own 224lbs weight class.

And by that time, this new weight division would have eventually gained credibility.

Also, the average heavyweight will be much bigger, weighing in the region of 260lbs and roughly 6’6” in height.

Until then, old-timers that are resistant to change, can always choose to ignore any fights being fought at the new weight class.

Regardless, it’s not the end of the world, since the vast majority of you guys refrain from watching bouts involving fighters weighing 115lbs or less anyway, so this is just an additional weight division that's going to be ignored... at least for a while.

[H8Usernames]

Its funny how the WBC isnt pleasing anyone with this new weight class. Hasim Rahman (238 pounds) was properly roided and 224 would have been easy for him. Lennox Lewis (253) also roided and even weighed 221 for his 16th bout vs Mike Weaver. Oleg Maskaev (238), when on earth was this fighter relevant? Samuel Peter (250) practically got beat by Mw Toney, and Vitali Klitschko (247) got beat by Mw Chris Byrd but yes did enjoy a considerable size advantage for most of this fights.

A 185 pound and 210 pound divisions were needed not this bs 224 division.

[Enlightened-One]

Its funny how the WBC isnt pleasing anyone with this new weight class. Hasim Rahman (238 pounds) was properly roided and 224 would have been easy for him. Lennox Lewis (253) also roided and even weighed 221 for his 16th bout vs Mike Weaver. Oleg Maskaev (238), when on earth was this fighter relevant? Samuel Peter (250) practically got beat by Mw Toney, and Vitali Klitschko (247) got beat by Mw Chris Byrd but yes did enjoy a considerable size advantage for most of this fights.

A 185 pound and 210 pound divisions were needed not this bs 224 division.

The stats support the WBC's decision.

Deontay Wilder is the only fighter within the last decade to have successfully competed in world heavyweight title fights weighing 220lbs or less (and he only ever did it three times).

Justification for the creation of the additional weight class seems wholly endorsed by statistical reality, even if we increased the scope of the stats by considering the last twenty years.

For instance, if we excluded Wilder's aforementioned title bouts (the three fights he weighed light), only 6% of the 155 world championship bouts were won by men weighing 220lbs or less. The mathematical average weight for the winners of all those bouts equates to roughly 245lbs.

Listen, I get it! Boxing has too many divisions and titles!

However, the void between cruiserweight and heavyweight was already in the region of 45lbs or so… and the gulf has continued to grow at an alarming rate, simply because humans seem to keep getting bigger as each decade passes by.

And if you want to pretend that extremely rare David and Goliath instances are the norm, whereby small heavyweights have no problem overcoming bigger foes, then you're deluding yourself.

If you don’t like the new weight division, ignore it!

[gilgamesh]

Nothing supports the WBC's new division. Anybody that thinks it should exist is a f*cking moron or a greedy piece of sh*t.

[Jeff_lacy_ko]

Its funny how the WBC isnt pleasing anyone with this new weight class. Hasim Rahman (238 pounds) was properly roided and 224 would have been easy for him. Lennox Lewis (253) also roided and even weighed 221 for his 16th bout vs Mike Weaver. Oleg Maskaev (238), when on earth was this fighter relevant? Samuel Peter (250) practically got beat by Mw Toney, and Vitali Klitschko (247) got beat by Mw Chris Byrd but yes did enjoy a considerable size advantage for most of this fights.

A 185 pound and 210 pound divisions were needed not this bs 224 division.

The stats support the WBC's decision.

Deontay Wilder is the only fighter within the last decade to have successfully competed in world heavyweight title fights weighing 220lbs or less (and he only ever did it three times).

Justification for the creation of the additional weight class seems wholly endorsed by statistical reality, even if we increased the scope of the stats by considering the last twenty years.

For instance, if we excluded Wilder's aforementioned title bouts (the three fights he weighed light), only 6% of the 155 world championship bouts were won by men weighing 220lbs or less. The mathematical average weight for the winners of all those bouts equates to roughly 245lbs.

Listen, I get it! Boxing has too many divisions and titles!

However, the void between cruiserweight and heavyweight was already in the region of 45lbs or so… and the gulf has continued to grow at an alarming rate, simply because humans seem to keep getting bigger as each decade passes by.

And if you want to pretend that extremely rare David and Goliath instances are the norm, whereby small heavyweights have no problem overcoming bigger foes, then you're deluding yourself.

If you don’t like the new weight division, ignore it!

What weight is the new class? 220?

[Counter-puncher]

stats

[Enlightened-One]

What weight is the new class? 220?

I previously performed a deep analysis of the potential new weight class based on Tony Bellew’s recommendations about it having a 220lbs limit, since he was working the WBC on this matter.

So I simply recited the same stats I’d already gathered and provided to the forum. And it's clear that 4lbs doesn’t significantly affect the obvious interpretation of the numbers.

No one can pretend otherwise.

[oogiebe]

I'm still waiting for the "come as you are" belt.