The World Boxing Association (WBA) Executive Committee has approved the creation of a new super cruiserweight division in a vote called by the president Gilberto Jesus Mendoza. This new division will be between 200 and 224 pounds, matching the bridgerweight division created by the WBC three years ago.
The WBA made several analyses during recent months before considering the request and in the end it was submitted to a vote, in which it was approved unanimously by the executive committee. The creation of this new division is designed to help fighters considered to be “small heavyweights,” who often give up 25 or more pounds. They will now have the option to move down to super cruiserweight and seek opportunities against more balanced weight opponents.
The WBA ranking committee has already begun working on the creation of the rankings for this weight and the first divisional match-ups will be announced soon.
Great, boxing continuing its decline.
Just ridiculous.
What a mess:(
Anything to have more belts and thus more dues/fees to the organization.
While youre at it, why not just jump ahead and make Light Cruiserweight, Super Heavyweight, and then incorporate the stupid made up Bridgerweight one too, even though it’d make no sense.
Makes complete sense with the massive difference in size and weight of the guys in the lower end and unlimited top end of the heavyweight division. The ancient days of a 6’1 215 lb man being considered huge don’t exist anymore. Fighters and human beings in general are getting bigger and bigger on a massive scale. If the officials, doctors, and sanctioning bodies say that weight classes exist for fighter safety, then having a division that has an unlimited difference in competitors size and weight is extremely dangerous consider the majority of the other weight classes only have a difference of no more than 5-7 lbs. Multiple belts per division and sanctioning bodies don’t make sense, weight classes do. I mean we could always start having Bantamweight fighters against heavyweights if that makes more sense, but how fun would that be?
I agree. This doesn’t stop anyone from competing at heavyweight if they are in this class, it just subdivides them into another group if they want to compete at 224 max. I’ve been an advocate of moving all weight classes up and having guys weigh in the day of the fight. There is no need for 8 weight classes below 126.
This is funny. The WBA’s version of the WBC’s bridge water weight.
Super Cruiserweight, at least the name sounds right for such a division. IF there are enough fighters that do end up in this weight division, there is nothing wrong with it with all the gaints there are in the HWs nowadays. Very rare for a fighter to weigh around 220 and be the size of Usyk to make it in the HWs, or have the height, reach and power like Wilder at 215.
Henry, I agree with you here. As it stands now, there are weight divisions @ 115, 118, 122, 126, 130, etc, and most fans seem to have accepted that. Not sure how this is any worse.
Exactly, this was always going to go down just like Super Middleweight and Cruiserweight being introduced, both times people complained then 10 years later are arguing about who the GOAT in that division is. The real question here is will the IBF call this Jr. Heavyweight? Also the WBC needs to go ahead and change that ridiculous name for the division.
WHY!!!!
They already have the rankings for it on their site. Evgeny Tishchenko and Leon Harth are 1 & 2 and they’re scheduled to fight next week in Dubai, so I’m guessing thats their title fight. Badou Jack is 4th, Ryah Mehry is 7th and Andrew Tabiti is 8th.
What I find most interesting about this is ridiculous: The WBA now has a super cruiserweight division and they also have champion at cruiserweight who, though he pretty much never fights and has no regular champion under him, is still officially recognized as the WBA Super Cruiserweight champion of the world. That is AWESOME!
Yet Usyk and Wilder have never fought, and both are in their late 30s. Fans don’t even know names of fighters between 201 and 224 besides those 2 guys, who are close to retirement. I am for guys between 175 to 250 lbs making big $ though. Why are all the twerps from 135 to 147 getting so much attention (outside of Canelo and Monster Inoue fights). All the big $ seems to be going to 140-154 before too long (Haney, Tank, Ryan Garcia, Teo, Crawford/Spence, Ennis, and whoever rises at 154 to be a top guy). I am ready for Haney vs Ennis in 2024 though, want to see one of them rise and one of them fall, not sure that Prograis is the one to make it happen.
Perhaps because those “twerps” actually know how to fight? Compare their speed, skill and conditioning to the slow, clumsy slobs in the HW division and it’s easy to understand.
Agree. ….and just my opinion…. it should be extremely rare for a heavyweight to crack the Top 10 P4P rankings. Everyone blindly wants to insert one or two of the heavyweight champions in that list. I think a lot of people with a financial interest in boxing do it just to “sell” the heavyweight division. Guys like Fury and Usyk are good fighters, but nowhere near Top 10 P4P.
$$$$$:(
I agree with this
I would do :
Cruiser 190 to 200
Heavy 1 200 to 225
Heavy 2 225 to 250
Heavy 3 250 to no limit
In this way you won’t see heavyweight fights of 285 lbs vs 215 lbs
Your suggestions are a joke.
This is a damned if you do damned if you don’t. Fans and other people have pushed for a super heavyweight for decades. Now they are basically getting it and there is push back. We have seen small hw’s beat bigger ones and the other way around, but the HW division is stacked with more people than any other division because it has the unlimited cap on weight. I dont have a problem with it since weights are divided up so much as it is. If however they get rid of all the Jr and Super weight classes I hope this one leaves too. I am curious what they will think when a guy like wilder who is a very light HW steps down and clears out the division.
Well this apply for all the boxer now and in the future this is not for just for deontay wilder
The world don’t revolves around deontay wilder
This is for everybody whoever get success or beneficiated ….CONGRATULATIONS
Don’t remember anyone pushing for super heavyweight other than organizations wanting to add another title.
Pretty weird when you consider Deontay Wilder has come into fights as low as 212 pounds.
Why not just make make a weight class for every pound?! Start at 75 pounds, and work your way up all the way to 450 pounds. That way you could have 375 weight classes, and make that much more in tuition and fees. And heavyweights, depending on how much they just ate for lunch, or dumped in the bathroom, could move up 15 to 30 weight classes in just 24 hours.
The ABA (Andy boxing association) has formed the Andy-weight division at 180.0 lbs. You have to be named Andy and weigh 180.0 to be in contention. Andy is current champion.
Is there a junior and super Andyweight?
Will there be junior and super andyweight divisions?
2024 must be the end of the sanctioning bodies otherwise boxing is finished.
I was just thinking that boxing needs some additional belts lol
Yeah, I’m all for fewer weight classes, but I think I’d slash most, if not all of the Junior/Super divisions before this new Bridger/Super-Cruiser division. Outside of the original 8 divisions, there’s probably as good an argument for Bridger/Super-Cruiser as there is for any of the others outside of Cruiserweight, which by the way, met the same kind of resistance from fans when it was created. It’s probably here to stay anyway. We’ll see how it goes…
Most any good cruiserweight moves to heavyweight.
I like it, im down watch in shape heavyweights fight. Yall can pay to watch guys like Gorman and Miller come in at 300
Remember that magical night when Bobby Czyz won the inaugural WBU Super Cruiserweight championship?
Unfortunately, Ed, I remember that night. Wasn’t that on USA Tuesday Night Fights in the late-90’s? I think the dude Czyz knocked out was Richard Jackson. I wish I could delete that nugget of crap data from my brain. I evidently need a life.
Ed,
At the time, I knew it was a fringe CHAMPIONSHIP but, a weight division that needed to be addressed. Mankind is much bigger than it used to be. All of the other “SUB-DIVISIONS” are somewhat justified but, in actuality, it is just another reason to create another title, so the 3-letter agencies can charge and sanction people to fight.
Respectfully,
Bobby Czyz
Hahahaha
Pure rubbish
Yay…just what we need, another weight class and more belts. While we’re at it, how about we create another weight class between light heavyweight and cruiserweight. We’ll call it super light heavyweight or light cruiserweight for guys who weight between 176 and 188. Yep…sounds like a rad idea.
Gotta admit “Super Cruiser” sounds much better than “Bridger” weight, and it’s more logical
Isn’t Usuk just below225?
I made a comment about Usyks weight. And he has been below 225. WBC could have made a case at the time with Fury being very heavy. But WBA has Usyk. So ridiculous.
No one is going watch it.
You never know, look at all these circus fights, like the Paul bros, or Floyd fighting this Japanese schoolboy.
Oh yes!!! Finally a couple of new urgently needed WBA titles, like “WBA interim super cruiserweight champion” smh….first titleholder Tom Schwarz after a hard fight against Bermane Stiverne.
@Sweetness – You got it. I think Jackson was a former football player. He boxed like one.
May as well create interim titles like Taco weight Pasta weight Matzoh weight Mosquito weight Clover weight Pirrogi weight Watermellon weight Atomic weight Babushka weight Redneck weight Geezer weight Sufi weight Curry weight Chostick weight? ( Sorry if I did not offend anybody)
Wtf another weight division?
Good Idea
It is needed for weight balance
Be real let’s use the highest profile fight this year Tank vs Ryan at 135, not sure the outcome would be different but the fight itself would have been different at 140 both sides demanded their reasons of the 5 pound difference
Now imagine going into the Heavyweights and matching up a guy that’s limit 200 vs 260 that’s simple math of 60 pound difference
You really think there is no issue with that
I just don’t like the name of Bridger Weight by WBC
WBO and IBF are next to implement this weight category
My question is if someone wins this belt and the bridgerweight belt are they undisputed? Especially since the weights are 100% consistent? Also will it be recognized by the Ring magazine?
♂️♂️♂️
Congratulations to the WBA for at least getting the name right.
Instead of creating another belt, why not just expand the weight limit of the Cruiserweight Division? It solves the problem of bigger heavyweights today than in the past, and does not stop these fighters from moving up to heavyweight if they choose.
Let’s have an „overweight division „ for middle aged fat fellows who can have the chance to win a belt ( with extra holes in it) , then add a beer belly division ……
Wow… I could have the chance to become a two division champion!