Biggest fighters you have seen per division.

[yngwie]

147: Tommy Hearns was massive as a welter, i don't pick more than 5 fighters over him at that weight.
135: Shane was an amateur light welterweight, as a lightweight he was huge and strong.
154: Canelo is a huge super welterweight.
168: Has anyone here seen Shawn Estrada?, the guy looked like a heavyweight, i don't understand how he was capable of doing 168.

[Joe Beamish]

Hearns for sure, what a giant welter. I can't think of anyone more frightening in relation to his weight class. (He still got stopped by Leonard, though.)

Today's fighters, who don't have to make same-day weigh-ins, are another kettle of fish. Different game. Canelo fights at 155, doesn't he? Weighing in the day before? I can't really compare that to the size of fighters who had to make the divisional weight on the same day of the fight.

[GhostofDempsey]

Hopkins was a big MW at 6'1" and a large frame.
Brook is a massive welterweight.
Bob Foster was a tall LHW at 6'3" but couldn't carry his power up to HW

[NChristo]

Gerald McClellan at 160 was ridiculous, man cut some serious weight.

[The Old LefHook]

A fighter cutting massive weight to make a divisional limit is a fair proposition with same-day weigh-ins, but otherwise has about the same level of intrinsic fairness as a drug-free boxer facing a juiced one, in my humble opinion.

[The Old LefHook]

The above is one reason I had little respect for Ho'kins and Mosley as a middleweight and lightweight, respectively. Throw in McClellan. These characters and many others should have been fighting a division higher long before they made the move. Ho'kins chose to cut massive weight and defend the middleweight title for a decade against patsies rather than move up to where he belonged. Think of who he should have been fighting.

At least I know Foster was making the light heavyweight limit on the same day he had to defend his title.

[GhostofDempsey]

The above is one reason I had little respect for Ho'kins and Mosley as a middleweight and lightweight, respectively. Throw in McClellan. These characters and many others should have been fighting a division higher long before they made the move. Ho'kins chose to cut massive weight and defend the middleweight title for a decade against patsies rather than move up to where he belonged. Think of who he should have been fighting.

At least I know Foster was making the light heavyweight limit on the same day he had to defend his title.

Fully agree with your assessment on Hopkins. For years he chose to hide out at 160 and pad his record against journeyman, while avoiding the more competitive 168/175 divisions. He didn't want to rematch a prime RJJ or face Toney. Instead, we were all supposed to applaud his greatness of breaking Monzon's title defense streak at 160 by fighting Robert Allen 3x, Syd Vanderpool, Simon Brown, Andrew Council and smaller Welterweights in some of the ugliest fights of the era.

[The Old LefHook]

I have found a fair way. It may sound extreme, but in order to wrestle the reins of the sport from the money powers and the cheating powers, it is necessary to be extreme at this point in the game. The extreme solution is this:

Fighters are weighed-in right before they step in the chalk boxes in their corner. Stop worrying about them coming in dehydrated. If a drink of water costs them a championship, they belonged in a higher division anyway. If they are a champ, they would lose their title right there on the scales. Refunds come out of the champs' pockets if the evening has to be canceled. Don't worry. The way things go, the dethroned middleweight champ will probably have a chance to fight for the super middleweight crown later in the card when someone else fails the test because they needed to wet their whistle. Once the bell rings, they can drink all the water they want, if they dare.

Meaningful alternate opponents the next division up would have to be provided compliments of the promotion, to prevent riots in the stadiums and financial disasters.

If this is too extreme, then just go back to weigh-ins on the morning of the fight. But by all means, be fair about it so fans can once again respect the sport. The procedure as it is now is quite unfair to someone who can comfortably make middleweigt, for instance, but for whom cutting the six pounds to make super welter on the day of the fight puts them at risk.

Personally, I want to see men who are naturally the same size fight one another for belts and bragging rights. I am no more interested in seeing size mismatches (unless so designated) than I am in seeing juiced steroid bulls fight drug-free opposition.

[Anthony342]

Fully agree with your assessment on Hopkins. For years he chose to hide out at 160 and pad his record against journeyman, while avoiding the more competitive 168/175 divisions. He didn't want to rematch a prime RJJ or face Toney. Instead, we were all supposed to applaud his greatness of breaking Monzon's title defense streak at 160 by fighting Robert Allen 3x, Syd Vanderpool, Simon Brown, Andrew Council and smaller Welterweights in some of the ugliest fights of the era.

Good points, but couldn't one at least applaud Hopkins' later achievements of winning the Ring and lineal light heavyweight title once each and at such an advanced age? Plus the fact that he fought everyone at that weight class and beat a lot of them?

[GhostofDempsey]

Good points, but couldn't one at least applaud Hopkins' later achievements of winning the Ring and lineal light heavyweight title once each and at such an advanced age? Plus the fact that he fought everyone at that weight class and beat a lot of them?

I think what Hopkins wins at 175 did was expose the lack of talent in the division, rather than elevate his status. When I look at his Academy Award winning performance during his rematch with Jones and his disgraceful faking of injury to draw a point deduction and/or disqualification, I lost all respect for him.

Dawson was legitimately beating him in that first fight and Hopkins used his shoulder as an out to avoid a loss. He clearly lost the rematch. Dawson since that fight has been exposed as an average fighter. Same with Tavoris Cloud. Then there was Murat and Shumenov who were never on anyone's radar for greatness.

While I find it impressive that he could fight into such an advanced age, his fighting style allowed him the longevity in this sport. Clinching, holding and fighting inferior opposition is a recipe for longevity and low punishment.