P4P concept

Catchweights have been around for a long, long time. There's a big difference between Pacquiao fighting Cotto and Williams-JM Lopez or Mayweather-Calderon.

I don't really have a problem with catch weights if it's designed to "even things out". A case where a guy is dead at the weight is totally different.

Whitaker-Chavez @ 145? That was alright.

Now Roach saying Cotto @ 140 or Mosley @ 142? Those are weights designed to have both of those guys drained.

Actually, I think that was his way of just saying "no". Roach says a lot of things, but I think he would probably prefer Pacquiao fight Mayweather.

 

Fighters bodies are not programmed by weight classes. What makes 140 the correct weight or 147 the correct weight? They just separate the gap. If a mans body is suppose to be at 142 and the other mans at 145, 140-147 are just guidelines... IMO in that case those 2 fighters should meet at 143-144.

Cotto's body is not specifically designed for 147...heck its optimum wieght could be 149, or 145...where do you get the idea that fighters bodies get comfortable only in weight classes? lol. Weight classes are just guidelines and rules but everyone's body is different, I dont think Floyd is neither a 140lb fighter or 147...IMO his optimum fighting weight is proably 143.

 

It won't destroy boxing but you make a valid point. I think it has to do more with the smaller men challenging the larger men who are at a far greater disadvantage. Take this for instance. Joey Maxium beat Robinson.....Joey didn't get much praise for beating the GREAT RAY ROBINGSON....but even in the loss Robinson was seen as an incredible fighter who challenged the bigger man but came up short...had he won, that would have been an awesome feat. Just being competive and giving Joe a run was proof enough for most of his Robinson's P4P status. Just like how Leonard, Duran, Armstrong, Mayweather, Shane, PAC and DLH all moved up to face bigger and harder challenges, their status also went upwards....especially if they won.

 

I used to dislike the P4P concept, but only just recently I realised it's worth. Given that we complain about the number of weight classes and number of belts, it is incredibly useful to non-boxing fans as a way to quickly get to know who actually matters in the sport.

It is still clearly, at most, just the second best alternative to actually sorting out the ABC mess, but it may actually do the sport more good than bad - I think many potential new fans will be put off due to the lack of clarity at every weight class, but upon reading the P4P list would be able to quickly learn of the fighters who are most likely to be at the top of the sport through out the divisions. It's not perfect, but it's better than nothing.

If we want boxing to flourish, then converting non-boxing fans is a must, at some point all of us were non-boxing fans too.

 

The P4P concept is absolute rubbish.

What is much more useful is a list of weight divisions, where you pick the best fighter of each division.

Seriously, how on earth are you going to compare Darchinyan to Vitali Klitschko?

I don't think it's necessary, man. It comes down to marketing. There are guys on P4P lists that simply aren't famous, and others that aren't anywhere near the top 10 who ARE famous.

As long as boxing is going to be on exclusive channels or on PPV, nobody is going to stumble across it.

Some sports I just got interested in by switching on the television and coming across the sport. With boxing that isn't going to happen.

 

My earliest recollection of the term "pound for pound" came from an article in the now defunct "Boxing Today" magazine. I saw the term in an article about Alexis Arguello. The article said something like, "pound for pound the Exploding Thin Man is the hardest puncher in the sport today." Boxing fans and experts used the term as a means of comparing fighters from different divisions, ie "pound for pound Arguello hits harder than Foreman." It had nothing to do with catch weights, or division hopping. The way the term is used today is silly, and exagerated.

 

http://www.eastsideboxing.com/forum/showthread.php?t=30198 :deal

 

hmm says... I agree with this. If it evens out the playing field and both fighters mutually agree, then there shouldn't really be any criticism. The bigger opponent should understand the risk and rewards involved in making the fight happen.

 

The term was original created for the great srr I believe. Now, to me it means nothing, like the alphabet belts, paper champs and the heavyweight division

 

That's a popular myth, but other fighters (Tony Canzoneri, Bob Fitzsimmons) were called the best "pound for pound" before Robinson.

 

I stand corrected

 

I think Ray popularized the term more though.

 

dlh already fought at a catchweight of 150 vs. forbes before taking on pac. and it was dlh who actually offered pac the fight @147 just to be fair since pac was going to move up 2 weight classes from 135. both of them definitely weren't comfortable @147 since pac only weighed in @142 for that fight. both of them were fighting out of their comfort zones but it affected dlh more than it did pac.

 

One point of my previous post that I failed to make clear is that the term P4P wasn't even widely used until recent years. The meaning has changed considerably, and the term is over used, exagerated, and at times plain silly.