Lower weight divisions > higher weights divisions

Little guys usually have to build there reps off the back of fighting and having guts for the fans sake to counterweight being largely ignored by the casuals. But that’s just my take.

 

HW fights are really something different in person but there's less profit in live events today. Just make a ring with the ropes lower and get a short ref and we can finally have the little guys getting respect.

 

I'm sorry, but watching two guys that weigh less than my daughter fight just doesn't do it for me.

 

I'm not into watching guys that could be beaten by teenagers I train with

 

Most dudes down at the local bar dont have much interest in fighters below 140. That's the line of demarcation. Even though its delusion, the average dude thinks he could take a world class Lightweight or Featherweight in a fight.

**** you not. They actually believe they could take them on.

 

This. For example the MW or HW champ gets respect for simply being the champ. Try telling people you're the Bantamweight champ and nobody will care.

 

And the teenagers could be beat by a grandmother with a shotgun and the grandmother could be beaten by a diabetic neckbeard with a drone etc etc. Ultimately the most powerful warrior on earth is either an old man with a penchant for sniffing hair or a dude who looks like Winnie the Pooh.

Any high level competition is less about who is able to dominate opponents and more about who can master themselves.

You get to see more of the willpower contest further down the weights because it's harder for them to knock each other unconscious. They'll have a choice to continue and a lot of KOs are due to (often mental) exhaustion.

It's definitely a different kind of contest than HW boxing and I can't blame anyone for not being interested in it. But for me it more closely resembles the challenges I face and so it's more interesting to study.

 

You're right, they'd beat you up in front of her

 

Yeah, you don't have any comprehension how good these guys are. You and those teenagers would be mince meat for a 115 world champ.

 

I think there is a line of convergence between speed, power, size, and skill that peaks around 147 and works upward and downward in different ways. Power, for instance, has increased efficacy as you go up and works in the opposite direction as you get lower. I think the power shortage, along with the smaller physical stature and lack of Western representation, are the primary reasons few pay attention to anything below 126.

My contention is with the insinuation that "they actually fight each other!" I think 115 is a great example of a class where that does take place, but 118 hasn't had a Lineal Champion since 1987, which is easily the longest absence of any class in the entire sport. The next longest championship vacancy is 105, which hasn't had a Lineal Champion since Lopez left in 1999. 108 is better but it's still been since 2011 because it's primarily been a stopover class. There's been little headway made at 126, too. Inoue vs. Donaire should change the bantamweight landscape but I'm not aware of any plans for 105/108/126 to be shored up.

Also, I don't think 108 is "stacked". I watched Teraji (who was then the top-rated guy at 108) vs. Yabuki and wasn't impressed with either one. They looked like back-end contenders at 112 in a bygone era. I'm not sure how dedicated Rodriguez is to the class, either, seeing as he hasn't made the limit since 2018 and just won a trinket at 115. He looks very good, however, and I would to see him take on a top dog at 112.

 

In terms of skill and athleticism, of course. But theres just something about big HW fights that feels larger than life and more special than two regular sized or little guys going at it.

 

Until that teenager whose bigger and taller goes for a takedown

 

I admit that I am biased and prefer 140 and up and especially 126 and up. Below 122 or so I am biased. They simply don't look the part. I realize that any world class 112 pounder would work me over. But I still cant get past that they are that small. When I think of a great warrior the image of a Flyweight does not enter my mind.