Are you for or Against Catch Weight fights?

I don't mind them for fighters a couple of weight classes apart finding a neutral weight to fight at such as Hopkins-Pavlik.


I am very against them for title fights. No way is Pacquiao a Light Middleweight titlist when neither fighter was allowed to weigh up to the division's limit of 154 lbs. The same is definitely true of Leonard's Light Heavyweight title.

 

Very strongly against in 8, 10 and 12 round fights. It's the quantity of them, it's ridiculous and makes established weights pointless.

 

did you know that Hopkins unified the middleweight division in a catchweight fight?

 

Was that 158lbs versus De la Hoya?

I just think if you are fighting for a title in a division that has a weight limit of 160lbs that it isn't right to place a limit within a limit.

 

Yeah, make the weight and come in drained or above their optimal weight to the benefit of the other fighter holding the cards.

 

I never thought that a fight should happen if they cannot weigh the same and at thier best weight, or at least at a weight which they have fought and won a title at, which sort of legitimizes them at that weight. I remember Norris vs. Taylor and how they talked about Norris Chavez fighting at a catchweight. It really would not have been like Norris beat Chavez had he been able to knock him out, and I think he would have since that would have been a big disadvantage for Chavez. He never won a title at 154.

 

Im cool with it, as long as it's not for a title. But the 1 pound thing with Cotto's a little ****ed up.

 

When it comes to catchweights someone is always getting screwed. Don't know how anyone except *******s could ever justify it.

 

seriously, arent we over with this?!

catchweight is all over boxing history...
if fighters agree to it, why would you make it a big issue? theyre not FORCING a boxer to fight at a catchweight...

its their names on the line and not yours...
if they dont want to fight at catchweight, they could have easily said, "FCK OFF" and then no problem.. and if they do, then good...

we dont wanna see someone fighting everyone on the top 20 of his weight class. that is just boring ... and if someone wants to fight someone bigger/smaller, then why would we let him get a huge handicap? better thing is negotiate and meet in the middle... and if they agree to it, why the hell would we care? if they lose, they have no scapegoats since they agreed to terms...

 

If it allows two people from two different weight classes to fight, then I don't see why not. We would have missed out on a hell of a lot of greats fights if catchweights didn't exist.

 

For Cotto/Margarito, it's bull****. Just Cotto trying to make Margarito drain.

But for two guys trying to make a fight happen with a noticeable size disparity, it's a necessity, like Pacman/Margarito, Pacman/Cotto, Hopkins/Pavlik, Hopkins/DLH, Hopkins Wright, Jones/Trinidad, etc.

Heck, if Hopkins wanted to fight Bute and they made a catchweight of 172 or so, would that be a big issue? Hell no.

 

If a boxer from one division fight another guy from a higher division then its justified in my opinion. e.g. cotto vs martinez 157 would have no complains while froch vs bute 165 for example would **** me off.

 

:deal

 

******ed..... 17 weight classes is ridiculous enough without adding extras....there should be 8 weight classses and no catchweights. stop being bitches, fight in your natural weight classes and there'd be no problems, can't make weight? too bad move up a division. wanna fight someone from a higher division? fight him there and let him weigh the divisions limit, if you can't deal with that stay in your own division. all this "i wanna fight a bigger guy but only if he's at a disadvantage by being weight drained" it's pathetic and not a true indication of a smaller man beating a bigger man at his best, fight the bigger men at their natural weight and then you have something legit to brage about. Henry Armstrong didn't ask for no catchweights when he help feather, lightweight and welter titles

 

I am FOR catchweight fights, I say YES.


What is the most important thing in boxing?

Getting the big fights made.


If it wasn't for catchweights, we probably would never have seen:

Pernell Whitaker vs Julio Cesar Chavez
Bernard Hopkins vs Oscar De La Hoya
Roy Jones Jr vs Virgil Hill
Sugar Ray Leonard vs Donny Lalonde
Manny Pacquiao vs Miguel Cotto
Kelly Pavlik vs Bernard Hopkins
Kelly Pavlik vs Jermain Taylor II

and there are countless others that I can't think of right now.


If a catchweight is accepted by both men, and ensures the fights get made, then OF COURSE we should keep them.

It's not as if the weight classes we have now are traditional, meaningful weight classes anyway. In the era of the light/junior and super/cruiser divisions, the weight classes are arbitrary and pointless anyway, so moving a fight 2,3,4lbs north of south is not any more random or sinister than fighting at the stupid limits they have now anyway.


If both guys willingly agree, then I don't see any problem. Come on guys, if fighter A makes fighter B drain down to a ridiculous weight, everyone would know and would call it. But in reality, this never really happens. The catchweight is always reasonable, and that's why fighters have no problems with them. :good