The WBC pioneered the creation of a new class, known as the "Bridgeweight" or "Bridgeweight" class, which sits somewhere between the welterweight and heavyweight classes, with a weight range of 200-224 pounds. In 2020, Oscar Rivas became the first WBC "bridgeweight" champion. At the same time, the WBA has also announced the creation of a new class with the same weight range, called "super welterweight", which is somewhere between the welterweight and the heavyweight.
Despite some criticism of the WBC's creation of a "bridgeweight" division, the WBC "bridgeweight" event is still going on to this day and continues to do so, albeit on a small scale. At the same time, the WBA said in an official announcement that they have decided to create a "super welterweight class" to provide the necessary bridge for fighters between 200 and 224 pounds, and will continue to work to make boxing a fair sport.
WBA President Gilberto Mendoza has announced the creation of the "super welterweight division" and the ranking committee has also begun creating rankings for the division, which are expected to be announced soon. However, the weight gap between fighters in the heavyweight division is huge, which can be a key factor in the outcome of a fight. Therefore, although boxing emphasizes strength, the weight gap cannot be ignored.
The WBC and WBA claim that they have created a new boxing class to ensure weight fairness in the game. While this move is positive from a certain point of view, there are also those who believe that the WBC and WBA are doing so to earn additional sanctions. Because once a boxing championship is held at a new level, a certain percentage of the fee will be "tributed" to the boxing organization, bringing benefits to the WBC and WBA.
However, given the huge weight gap in the heavyweight divisions, it makes sense, if not necessary, to create a new division for the sake of fairness and impartiality. The well-known ** "World Boxing News" published the weight data table of the heavyweight boxing champions of WBC since the last century, which intuitively shows the gradual increase in the weight of fighters.
The weight distribution of boxing champions in the 20th century is as follows: Jack Dempsey: 187 pounds, Keon Tenney: 189 pounds, Max Schmelin: 188 pounds, Jack Shaki: 205 pounds, Max Bell: 209 pounds, Jim Braddock: 193 pounds, Joe Lewis: 197 pounds, Ezad Charles: 181 pounds, Joe Walcott: 194 pounds, Rocky Marcano: 184 pounds, Floyd Pa.
Tesson: 182 lbs., Ingmar Johansen: 196 lbs., Sonny Liston: 214 lbs., Muhammad Ali: 210 lbs., Joe Fraser: 205 lbs., George Foreman: 217 lbs., Leon Spinks: 197 lbs., Larry Holmes: 209 lbs., Michael Spinks: 200 lbs., Mike Tyson: 221 lbs, Buster Douglas: 231 lbs, Evand Holyfield.
Der: 208 pounds, Riddick Powe: 235 pounds, Lennox Lewis: 235 pounds. The weight distribution of boxing champions in the 21st century is as follows: Hasim Raman: 238 pounds, Oglie Maskov: 238 pounds, Samuel Pitt: 250 pounds, Vitaly Krychko: 247 pounds, Berman Stevenne: 239 pounds, Deontay Wild: 219 pounds, Tyson Fury: 273 pounds.
However, the biggest problem with the new division right now is that there are very few fighters weighing 220-224 pounds, and many are either choosing to compete in the heavyweight division or stay in the welterweight division, and the number of fighters who are involved in the new division is limited. However, over time, this issue needs to be addressed gradually. I firmly believe that the number of participants will gradually increase, eventually becoming large, and the operation will be more standardized.
If all goes well, the IBF and WBO will follow suit in the near future. At that point, professional boxing will truly evolve into 18 divisions. After all, judging by the laws of historical development, things are always changing. New things aren't necessarily the best, but they're certainly not the worst either. Therefore, it needs to be gradually improved in the process of development.