A short (incomplete) history of catchweight fights in boxing

Quality post, but in the IMPORTANT part of the post (ie - whether the catchweight hurts either man) you yourself stated that in 3 of the 6 match-ups at least one man was adversely affected, I disagree that the Hopkins/DLH and especially the Hopkins/Pavlik catchweight didn't affect one of the fighters involved.

 

I'll respond to yours..........

The first fight Pac significantly outweigh his opponent was Pac - Morales 3. He came in at 143, Morales 140. Then Solis, MAB 2, JMM 2. The heaviest he came in was at 145 against JMM who came at 144. So basically i don't really consider 1 or 2 lbs a significant advantage. else we have to consider that he was outweight by MAB, JMM and Morales in their first fights.

 

I believe it's a case of - if two fighters fight at a catchweight - I have no problem the title being on the line. However - it's at the discretion of the belt holder. He is entitled to, if he wants to defend his title, come in at the maximum weight. If he chooses to fight at a lower weight - it's his choice, but it's then his discretion whether or not to include his title.

 

Actually, it's not at his discretion; at least not according to the rules. Let's take the Cotto/Pac fight for example. Being that the fight is at a contract weight of 145 lbs., it's still defined(according to WBO guidelines), as a WW fight. Being that Cotto is the WBO WW champion, he can't fight a non title fight within the WW division without approval from the WBO. Now if Cotto decideds to weigh in for this fight at exactly 147 lbs., the WBO won't stip him like they would if he came in over 147 lbs. However, he'll have to pay a penalty to Pacquiao that would be stipulated in the contract between the two.

 

i was talking bout his lower weights where he skipped 2 or 3 divisions at a time .....situation must have been reversed somewhere in there dont you think ?

 

Then it's the fault of the Governing bodies.

I've no problem with catchweights - however, and I'd back the same even if it was Calzaghe; I don't believe that a fighter should be forced to weigh in less than the maximum to defend a title. For Pac/Roach to try and force it, as well as the WBO, is pathetic.

 

The WBO and Pac aren't forcing Cotto to do anything. If Cotto comes in at 146 or 147, he will face no penalty from the WBO. This is a voluntary defense, and he voluntarily agreed to fight at a catchweight of 145 lbs. I stand corrected actually, the WBO is basically forcing him to defend his title. However, once again, the weight stipulation of 145 lbs. has nothing to do with the WBO; that issue is between Cotto and Pac.

 

Please what a load of crap. Who cares about catch weights for non title fights? This revisionist thing and comparing the original 8 eras to this one begs the freakin question.
A 17 division world and we need a 145 weight class?? If you want to challenge somebody north for their title then do it. Don’t ask the champion to melt to suit your tin desires. In some of the same eras you quote fighters were fighting people out of their weight class all the time. No contracted catchweight. Gans fought Holly on Dec 7th 1903 and then traveled by train overnight and faced Langford the next day. No catch weight.
Robinson fought Maxim. No catchweight. Greb fought Tunney 5 times. No catchweight.
Guys like Langford and later Burley as well as the rest of Murders row made a living beating up bigger men. No catchweights.

 

Hagler/Leonard wasn't a catchweight fight to who ever said that.

Leonard/Lalonde was so that they could fight for both the lightheavy weight and supermiddlewieght titles of seperate sanctioning bodies.

 

catchweights have been going on forever. They've given us a lot of fights we wouldn't have gotten to see otherwise. Their only bad when it's not necessary to use them.

 

Whitaker-Chavez

SRL/Lalonde
SRL/Hearns II (163)
SRL/Duran III (162 1/2)

 

I have no trouble with catchweight bouts, but with 17 weight classes in existence, I don't believe that the title should ever be on the line in such a meeting.

Obviously if all parties agree, then that's that.

But the fight needs to have an asterisk beside it in the record books.

IMO, Pac should have fought Cotto at 147. (I'm a Pac fan, BTW).

He can't truly claim to have won the WW title if he imposed a condition on Cotto that isn't part of the normal rules and protocols.


Much more egregious was SRL's insistence that the LHW title be on the line when he faced Danny Lalonde, and that the weight limit be 168.

I don't consider Leonard to have ever been a LHW champ. And because of the weight drainage imposed, probably not a SMW champ either.

 

Please. This was not a ctachweight fight. It was a circus. Brand new 168 belt and boxings poster boy decide's to go for Lalondes 175 tin while making him melt to 168. Pathetic.