Jumping weights or one-division dominance – what’s more impressive?

Legacy is a vague word that seems to carry a lot of weight. boxing Fans and pundits around the world are engaged in a never-ending debate over how their favorite fighters match up to each other.

Disagreements over the value of certain achievements or the quality of opposition plagued the game, not allowing fans to enjoy great fighters.

An example of such a debate is gennady golovkinTo be included on the 2026 International Boxing Hall of Fame ballot.

There have been fierce disagreements online, with one side arguing that ‘GGG’ was the most dominant and avoided middleweight champion in the history of the sport, and the other side arguing that Golovkin did not face the quality of opponents necessary for induction into the Hall of Fame.

Similarly, Terence CrawfordWin over Canelo Alvarez makes him five-division world champion undisputed three weight championOpinion is divided, on paper it is an all-time great achievement along with the likes of Floyd Mayweather And oleksandr usyk – but some argue that to get there he never had to face one of the best, having only competed once in two of the five weight classes.

But what really makes a strong legacy, becoming the dominant force in a division or traveling through the weight classes?

A matter of dominance in a department

Promoting almost entirely in the same division for your entire career and reigning as unified or undisputed champion not only establishes you as one of the best boxers in the world, but also as one of the best boxers that division has ever seen.

That means you left no stone unturned and no contender remained undefeated – there can be no question about your dominance in that division – defeating the best there was to offer should be enough to confirm you as the greatest of all time.

The most poignant examples of this are Marvin Hagler and Gennady Golovkin, both of whom worked almost exclusively in the middleweight division.

Hagler is considered one of the most destructive champions in any division in boxing history.

He reigned as the undisputed middleweight champion for seven years and successfully defended his title on 12 consecutive occasions, winning all but one of those defenses by knockout.

That, in itself, is a Hall of Fame-worthy career, and his claim to be the greatest of all-time is only strengthened when you look at who Hagler had to defeat to remain champion.

He overcame the likes of Allan Minter, Vito Antuofermo, Roberto Duran, and Tommy Hearns to remain on the throne during his period of dominance.

Golovkin, in his prime, was one of the most dangerous boxers in the world and between 2009 and 2017, he knocked out every opponent he faced.

He reigned as middleweight champion for almost a decade, defeating the likes of Kell BrookDaniel Jacobs and David Lemieux at a time when no one wanted to fight him.

Many consider Golovkin’s resume against him and say that his legacy might have been better if he had moved up to super middleweight earlier. But defeating the best fighters who were willing to get comfortable in the ring with him and going undefeated in his first 37 fights is a level of dominance only seen among the greats of all time.

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Drawbacks of Dominating a Division

As mentioned earlier, and as exemplified with Golovkin, even if you beat everyone you beat in your division, there will always be questions about whether the quality of the division was good enough at the time and whether the fighter really challenged himself enough by settling into a weight class.

If you’ve only proven yourself in one division, it becomes harder to argue for pound-for-pound greatness, as there may be contenders or champions in another division who can belie your dominance.

Once the initial round of accumulating belts against potentially unknown quantities is complete, there is no guarantee of quality opposition to challenge for the crown, which could damage a fighter’s legacy through no fault of their own.

The case for being a multi-division champion

Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao, oscar de la hoya And Terence Crawford comes to mind when you mention not only boxers who have won in five or more weight classes, but also some of the best boxers of all time.

The ability to seamlessly transition between divisions and adapt to new challenges, sizes, and styles is the hallmark of a great fighter and, since the beginning of the four-belt era, most fighters have pursued.

Pacquiao is perhaps the best example of this, having won world titles in eight different weight classes from flyweight to super welterweight.

He took on the best names in nearly every division, claiming victories over Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, Juan Manuel Marquez, Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton.

Pacquiao ruled eight divisions and was forced to gain more than 40 pounds during his career. To be able to gain so much weight while maintaining the speed and fitness required to compete on the world stage is a testament to true greatness.

Drawbacks of being a multi-division champion

By never staying in one division, a fighter cannot claim dominance at any weight. In the four-belt era, it has become easier for subpar champions to emerge and for fighters to pick off these titlists in order to achieve multi-division champion status without testing themselves.

adrien bronner He’s a world champion in four divisions from super featherweight to welterweight, but no one would argue he was better than Hagler or Golovkin.

His world title wins came against Vicente Rodriguez, Antonio DeMarco, Paulie Malignaggi and Khabib Allakhverdiev, whom many consider nothing more than solid champions.

But when Broner faced elite level opponents like Marcos Maidana, Manny Pacquiao, Shawn Porter and even Mikey Garcia, he lost.

Another issue is that, especially in the lower weight categories, the difference between them is so small that it does not pose much of a challenge.

The weight difference between the 112-pound flyweight limit and the 147-pound welterweight limit at which Manny Pacquiao won the world title is only 35 pounds, but it covers eight weight classes.

This is roughly the same as the difference between super middleweight and cruiserweight, which is 32lb, but constitutes only three divisions.

Which creates a stronger legacy?

Depending on the arguments given, it’s a close call, but history shows that when a multi-division champion actually moves up through the weights and beats the best fighters in those divisions, there’s a very strong argument for that fighter being the greatest pound-for-pound.

Guys like Mayweather and Pacquiao, widely considered two of the best, if not the best, fighters walking the planet, both focused on being the best in more than one division.

This doesn’t mean that a division champion who dominates for years can’t be considered some of the best of all time because that’s simply not true – Golovkin, Hagler and the longest reigning super middleweight champion in history, Joe Calzaghe, would have something to say about that.

But in terms of the legacy left behind, there is no argument for conquering not just one division, but four or more divisions – as long as they are truly facing the best fighters available.

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