Who are the best boxers in each of the original eight weight classes? Check out Boxing Junkie’s new “Great Eight” feature.

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Sadly, the proliferation of sanctioning body titles has diluted the value of once-precious championship belts.

If we accept that there are four major sanctioning organizations and allow each of them one “champion,” then we have 68 titleholders. That ridiculous number, which grows when the organizations add even more self-serving belts, drives boxing aficionados who want the best for the sport absolutely mad.

In effect, the sanctioning body titles mean next to nothing unless they’re unified. And even then, they’re value is often limited.

That’s why some of us look back longingly at a time when boxing had only eight divisions and one true champion in each of them. Everyone knew who the champions were and they had tremendous respect.

With that in mind, Boxing Junkie has decided to turn back the clock and establish its Great Eight, in which we determine the best boxers in each of the original weight classes – heavyweight, light heavyweight, middleweight, welterweight, lightweight, featherweight, bantamweight and flyweight.

To be clear, heavyweight includes cruiserweight, light heavyweight includes super middleweight, middleweight includes junior middleweight … all the way down to flyweight, which includes junior flyweight and strawweight.

Also, pound-for-pound has nothing to do with this. We believe the fighters selected in each division would defeat anyone else at that weight.

And, finally, this feature will be presented periodically.

Have a look:

HEAVYWEIGHT – Deontay Wilder (42-0-1, 41 KOs)

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT – Artur Beterbiev (15-0, 15 KOs)

MIDDLEWEIGHT – Canelo Alvarez (53-1-2, 36 KOs)

WELTERWEIGHT – Terence Crawford (36-0, 27 KOs)

LIGHTWEIGHT – Vasiliy Lomachenko (14-1, 10 KOs)

FEATHERWEIGHT – Gary Russell Jr. (30-1, 18 KOs)

BANTAMWEIGHT – Naoya Inoue (19-0, 16 KOs)

FLYWEIGHT – Kosei Tanaka (15-0, 9 KOs)