Imagine Haye agreed to fight the Klitchko's but in the contract they had to weigh under 17 stone. If he stopped a weight drained champ - would he be the heavy weight champ? Pacman won the welter weight at 145 even though the division is 147. I think having any weight stipulation different from the division takes the fight out of world title championship status, and after his victory I think the WBO belt should be declared vacant.
On that argument someone could be crowned heavy weight champion on the world in a fight with a weight stipulation of 201lb
Very simple answer. The catchweight was BS and should never have been allowed because the limit should have been 147 in a WW world title fight and no one can justify otherwise. The alphabets only care about money. However, what Pac did last night was amazing and all credit to the guy because he is an incredible fighter. Pac vs May. Matchup up of the last 20 - 30 years
I don't really agree with it but yeah you can Ray Leonard managed to defend a SMW and win a LHW world title in one fight!
Look up your boxing history. Many of the so called 2/3/4/5/6 time champions you call today have gotten their championship fights through catchweights. Catchweights have been around for over a century!
Why are people so upset about the catchweight. Catchweights have been happening for over 100 years. Lots of fighters have won the title weighing less than division max. Armstrong used to defend his title weighing less than that. Sounds like sour grapes to me that Cotto lost.
the fight was at 147. they had a agreement to come in at 145. there was nothing to stop cotto coming in at 147 if he wanted to.
The sanctioning bodies do not care what weight you come in at, aslong as it is between the stipulated weight class, like Manny came in at 144, he is still fighting at WW. Like Haye coming in at 217, he is still fighting at HW. The weight that they were made to come in at is a matter of law, and does not concern the sanctioning bodies. Two agents in law can agree to pretty much anything, and the law will see that it is enforced. Cotto and Pac agreed that teh weigth was 145, and a contract was put in place to enforce that. If Cotto had come in at 146, Im lead to believe that the contract stipulated he would pay $1 million fee, if he refused the courts would see it done. The 145 weigth requirement had nothing to do with the WBO, and aslong as the fight was between 141 and 147 they would sanction it as a ww fight. If Haye somehow made the Klits agree to fight at 17 stone, a contract would be put in place and if they were above 200l the sanctioning bodies would sanction the fight as HW, but if the Klits came in over 17 stone, then the contract would be breached and legal proceedings would no doubt take place!
I'm not sure that it's sour grapes, not on my part at least- I think what Manny has achieved is phenominal and he's shocked me for the third time in a row. I just think that if you fight for a welterweight belt your opponent should always be able to come in at 147. I don't really like any restrictions placed on a fighter besides those of the sanctioning body. Obviously I do object to Ray Leonard being a five weight world champion, he won the WBC Light-Heavyweight title yet according to boxrec never faced an opponent weighing more than 167! Don't take this as critism of Ray Leonard a four weight world champion can't be bad in anyones books!