by James Slater: The cruiserweight division is pretty hot at the moment. With The potentially explosive pairing of BJ Flores and Darnell Wilson set for early February, and then the equally dynamite-laden match up of David Haye and Enzo Maccarinelli happening the following month, the 200 pound division is fast overtaking the heavyweight division as boxing’s best big man weight class.
Big enough to rekindle the excitement provided by great heavyweights from up until the 1960s and ’70s – a time when fighters from boxing’s most watched division were light enough so as to be able to move and throw punches for a full three minutes a round – but also small enough so as to not suffer from being lumbering, today’s cruiserweights are more fun to watch than most active heavyweights.
Once looked upon as a comparative joke of a weight class, the cruiserweight division is not seen that way any more. There have been some truly great fights at the 200 pound limit (or 195 pound before the addition of 5 pounds was made) and in this article I list a selection of great cruiserweight fights. The following battles are all excellent, and watching them would be a great idea for getting oneself in the mood for the two promising slugfests we are hopefully in store for in a few weeks – a time when the eyes of most boxing fans will be firmly focused on the division directly below heavyweight. In short, if Flores-Wilson and Haye-Maccarinelli are half as good as the fights recalled here, we are in for some spellbinding action.
In no particular order, here are my five selections from the cruiserweight division’s very best offerings.
Evander Holyfield Vs. Dwight Muhammad Qawi. 1986.
A true classic to begin with. Probably THE best-ever fight at cruiserweight, Holyfield-Qawi had everything except knockdowns. With an intense pace, ebbs and flows, an unbelievable number of punches thrown, second, even third winds and the coronation of a future all-time great as he closely defeated another future Hall of Famer, what more could the fans possibly have asked for?
15 rounds of unparalleled cruiserweight action, in which neither man was prepared to quit, from a super fight that is not likely to be topped any time soon, if at all. A fight for the ages that proved cruiserweights could be great too.
Carl Thompson Vs. Sebastiaan Rothman. 2004.
Perhaps a little seen classic, but a classic nonetheless. Veteran Brit, Thompson, nicknamed “The Cat,” was just shy of 40 years old. Challenging South Africa’s much younger Rothman for his IBO belt, Thompson put on a show that was utterly mesmerising. Down in the 4th, the challenger got up and proceeded to return the favour – putting Rothman down in the 5th. A battle of attrition ensued, one that looked to be taking a huge toll on the older man. Taking serious punishment from the middle rounds on, Thompson looked a sure loser.
Then, in round number 9, with referee James Davies looking as though he was about to dive in and rescue the exhausted Thompson, “The Cat” somehow sprang into life and landed a scorching right hand to Rothman’s head. Down on his face and utterly beaten, the South African had fallen prey to one of the most astonishing comebacks in modern day boxing.
James Toney Vs. Vassiliy Jirov. 2003.
James Toney, a former middleweight and super-middleweight king, was thought by many to be past his best. Moving up to cruiserweight to challenge unbeaten IBF ruler Vassiliy Jirov, “Lights Out” turned out one of his finest ever performances in a great fight. Slugging it out as they battled toe-to-toe on the inside, both men banged away and refused to give. Some vicious looking body work by Toney at last began to take its toll on Jirov, and a final round knockdown scored by the 35-year-old put the final touches on his super win.
Although it was surprisingly wide on the scorecards after the 12 rounds were up, Jirov had made Toney work exceedingly hard for his points victory. Neither man had anything to be ashamed of after this awesome battle.
O’Niel Bell Vs. Jean-Marc Mormeck. 2006.
Another modern day classic. Bell, the IBF champ, met WBA and WBC king Mormeck and a scintillating war was witnessed. Both men went at it hammer and tongs and on more than one occasion the fight looked close to being finished. When one guy was hurt, however, he would somehow come roaring back to hurt his tormentor. Round 7 was a sensational round. With Mormeck hurt by a right to the head, Bell followed up and a tiring Mormeck covered up as best he could. Gasping for air and under more fire, the WBA and WBC champion came back himself with two left hands upstairs. Then it was Bell’s turn to almost finish his man off for a second time, and the two gutsy warriors traded until the bell. The crowd was on its feet at the end of an incredible three minutes.
Finally, after more amazing action in rounds 8 and 9, Bell got the stoppage win near the end of round ten. Mormeck crashed, the result of some furious rights by Bell, and referee Wayne Kelly stopped the fight at 2 mins and 50 seconds. Truly a brutal fight.
David Haye Vs. Giacobbe Fragomeni. 2006.
Another recent fight, and also one featuring one of the fighters that has helped make the cruiserweight division so appealing as of late. Defending European champ Haye, came out fast in round one of his fight with Italian Fragomeni. Winning the early rounds, “The Hayemaker” found himself in a tough fight by rounds 3 and 4. Fragomeni is no big puncher, but his work rate and the number of punches he throws is enough to give good fighters trouble – as Haye discovered. In the sixth session Haye had his best round yet, as did the fans. With Fragomeni pressing forward, “The Hayemaker” suddenly sprang into life with an array of hurtful blows that comprised of rights and lefts to the head along with some uppercuts. Giacobbe displayed a very good chin though, and managed to soak it all up. A good fight was now starting to turn into a great fight.
In the 7th a bad cut was opened over Haye’s left eye and the blood was soon cascading down his face. Was it disaster time? Round 8 was a good all-action round, with Haye pouring it on in an attempt to finish it. This he did in the next round, as a body blow took some serious steam out of Fragomeni, before a follow-up barrage of lefts and rights exploded on the Italian. Fragomeni went down, beat the count, but his corner threw in the towel. The badly bloodied David Haye was the winner at 1 min and 29 seconds of round 9.
Again, if Flores-Wilson and Maccarinelli-Haye are half as good as the five great fights recounted here, fans of the cruiserweight division are in for something special in February and March!