Adrien Jerome "The Problem" Broner - type specimen for weight bullies.

Your primary mistake is to overlook a fundamental truth in athletic competition: Every athlete is entitled to maximize his advantages within the rules. If you don't like the big weight cuts, which I don't, then by all means change the rules. But expecting an athlete to gimp his potential out of some opaque sense of duty is silly.

You can't even define the rule. Some guys burn weight fairly easily, while others can't do it without killing themselves. Many others lack the discipline to burn down. For those who can do it without too much trouble, why on earth would they voluntarily harm their own prospects for fame and fortune? Only fans care about this ****, and generally I suspect it's people who never competed in organized athletics.

Bernard Hopkins weighed 177 in his first bout and lost. He then moved down to 160 for the express purpose of fighting smaller men. By your logic, he is the epitome of a weight bully. To me, his ability to maintain that weight for so many years is a testament to his dedication to craft. It's part of what made him such a great athlete.

Broner's problem wasn't that he fought at small weights; it's that he stopped fighting at small weights. That was his advantage, within the rules, but he lacked the discipline to sustain it. Look how long Arturo Gatti was able to hang on at smaller classes. We saw what happened once he no longer could do it. To you Gatti is a shameful weight bully, punctuated by the near-tragedy against Gamache. Same with Gerald McClellan. A monstrous MW who could make 160 despite big cuts.

Carlos Monzon was a notorious weight cutter in the same day weigh-ins era. Which again, was for the purpose of having a size advantage. And all within the rules. Monzon - shameful weight bully.

 

Agreed 100%, and I’ve always felt this was pretty evident once it was clear Paulie Malinaggi was about the upper limit of who he could beat at welterweight (a C to B level chubby 140 lber himself at the weight…)

Ironically, as it kind of goes against any stereotype you’d arrive at based on his personality and character - his best in ring assets were probably that he was a warrior and tough as nails.. I remember the last round or two being his best in that beautiful shellacking he took from Maidana!

Definitely not the slickster he was thought to be (by himself or others.)