You are not understanding what I am saying, and that is fair because it took me time to learn. The way it used to work was that you found a weight that was comfortable, you could make it without an extreme cut but still be without an extra ounce. Like Marvin Hagler, you walk around at 168, you fight at 160. It was a reasonable procedure. But having an extra day to rehydrate changed that; as a guy that came up and made weight, and quit making weight, before the change, it was hard for me to adapt to. Now, the focus, for a guy that has potential, is to see how low he can get. The push to manipulate that starts very early and a lot of potentially good fighters get weeded out by it. You take a guy like Golovkin, I expect that he was like Hagler in a sense; he was comfortable in the ring at 170, so he fought at 160. He had a high skill level so he held his own with the 180 pound middleweights. In this day and age, if Foster is at his peak in the ring at 173 pounds, junior middle could be his spot and 147 isn't out of the question.
Look, someone had more to say. Yes, water weight! What else did you think? So Foster will need to cut another 25 pounds of water weight despite already cutting water to make 175? I have never done either of those. I have boxed and I have had to make weight in this decade. Earlier in this thread you said Foster would be the second coming at 155. Interesting that you would compare the second coming to a 37-15 fighter who by the looks of things had a very difficult cut. You must think the second coming is a four-round fighter.
I have seen guys do 10 hard rounds of sparring on Saturday and weight 155. The next Friday they weigh 129, fight on Saturday and, on three days later are in the gym doing 10 and weighing 155 again. A lot depends on the fighter, especially since guys don't fight weekly any more. If your fighter has a tendency to blow up, and the cut is hard on him- everybody reacts differently- you watch his weight close between fights and set limits. Some guys, in 90 days, can put on, take off, and put on crazy weight. There are so many variables...personally I would like to see my guy around 10 pounds above weight 2 weeks before the fight. That gives you a week of hard sparring and really focused roadwork- sharpening the wind- and that will take off weight. The last week you dry out gradually for the rest and still get a good few pounds back post weigh in. I have been helping out an amateur, he is 6'3" tall and fights at 165, but everybody knows that he will turn pro and fight (weigh in) at 144, 142. He got down there and sparred with world rated fighters. For amateur tournaments, where he has to weigh in daily, 165. But with the 36 hours, 144. If any of that makes sense.
Foster said many times that he never cut to make 175. Research. He clearly did not carry the higher weights well.
This amateur of yours, how long do you think he can stay at 147? Do you think his prime years will be spent at welterweight or light middleweight? How old is he?
I have no idea how he will grow in the future. He is 22 now. I expect that he will be able to weigh in at 147 and fight at 165 for at least a few years. But I do not train him, or manage him. I offer suggestions and find him really good sparring.
Okay, fair enough. At least you can appreciate the need for more information. I asked because if we compare him to Spence- who, I think you will agree, is a large welterweight- there's quite a bit of difference there. Spence's amateur days up to the age of 22 was spent at 69kg. He isn't 6'3" nor did he ever scale 170 on the night, as far as I recall. So, for Foster to accomplish anything remotely close to what is being projected for him, he would have to be a bigger freak than Spence, Paul Williams, and this other guy.
Let's try a different tack, @greynotsoold. Would you agree that amateur weights can be better indications since they have not changed the process as drastically compared to the professional ranks? Here's what Google tells us: Bob Foster at 21 was 165 (same as Kovalev) Gennady Golovkin at 21 could still make 156 The next available age for Foster was his pro debut at 22. If we assumed he lost no weight from the time he climbed the scale, then we can take his weight as 178 (again, same as Kovalev). Golovkin has now established himself as a middleweight, after vacillating between 156 and 165. And, as I said, Errol Spence was 150 up to age 22.