Former world champion Tony Bellew believes boxing should add an eighteenth weight class with the formation of a ‘super-cruiserweight’ division and that a championship bout between Deontay Wilder and Oleksandr Usyk would prove its perfect introduction.
In the age of the boxing behemoth, smaller heavyweights like Wilder and Usyk have to mix it against physically bigger men with significant size and weight disadvantages. Wilder was outweighed by 44lbs and 42lbs respectively in his first two fights with Tyson Fury, which appears lunacy when compared to the 3lbs to 8lbs margins that separate the divisions from strawweight up to light-heavyweight.
The gap between light-heavyweight (175lbs) to cruiserweight (200lbs) involves another whopping 25lbs leap before a fight between a heavyweight of, say, 201lbs and 273lbs becomes oddly legal in a sport without a sole legislative body.
Bellew has been tasked by the WBC with leading a committee to discover whether boxing does, indeed, require a new weight class, following a proposal by respected fight figure Don Majeski. ‘The Bomber’ believes a new, ‘super-cruiserweight’ division, which can accommodate smaller heavyweights, is long overdue.
“If I had my way, I would go from 190lbs to 220lbs. You’re looking at the ‘small heavyweights’,” former WBC cruiserweight champion Bellew told Talksport’s Fight Night.
“I would’ve fallen into that category quite comfortably, Usyk falls into that category quite comfortably.
“Wilder falls into that category quite comfortably, David Haye falls into that category quite comfortably.
“This weight class we’re looking to bring in is the perfect thing and, if I had complete control of something like this, the first match-up I would look to do would be Deontay Wilder vs Oleksandr Usyk for the belt.
“It’s an amazing fight, the division would be relevant immediately with a fight of that magnitude.”