I was thinking of the Liston rematch when he was 23 years old, but your right that after 1966 he was never under 211 again. He was able to make 212 as late as 1974 though. However fighters routinely rehydrate up to 18 pounds. In fact some fighters rehydrate 22 pounds or more. The following is the best source on fight-time weights vs weights at weigh ins This content is protected Unfortunately they don't give weights for many cruiserweight bouts but they give the following weights for light heavyweight Dmitry Bivol vs Jean Pascal (2018) Bivol 174.4 (fight time) 181 Pascal 174.6 (fight time) 188 Dmitry Bivol vs Isaac Chilemba (2018) Bivol 174.6 (fight time) 184 Chilemba 175 (fight time) 189 Sergey Kovalev vs Eleider Alvarez (2018) Kovalev 174 (fight time) 185 Alvarez 174.4 (fight time) 187 Sergey Kovalev vs Nadjib Mohammedi (2015) Kovalev 174.5 (fight time ) 183.5 Mohammedi 173 (fight time ) 180.5 Jean Pascal vs Yunieski Gonzalez (2015) Pascal 178 (fight time) 188 Gonzalez 177.5 (fight time) 189 Sergey Kovalev vs Jean Pascal Kovalev 174.25 (fight time) 189 Pascal 175 (fight time) 185 Given how much weight we commonly see fighters put on between weigh ins and fights I don't think it would be at all hard for Ali to make cruiserweight as long as he stayed in good shape. He could comfortably make the limit and then come in as high as 218 if he wanted to.
Cutting weight is a science. I saw a guy spar who fights at 118 a few weeks ago. I'm sure he was 135-40 while sparring and he was as lean as ever. Cutting weight is just removing water, it's not losing muscle or fat. Marvin Hagler is the best example, people on a boxing board become indignant when someone mentions that Hagler could fight at 147 or maybe even 140 with a day before weigh in. They say that Hagler was all muscle with no fat to lose...he wouldn't be losing fat, he'd be removing water then replacing it. "Small" fighters are much bigger than people who walk around at the weight the fighter competes at. When people see a 118 fighting, they'll say, "my wife is bigger than that guy." Usually they are wrong. I know two guys who fought at 119 and 125 years ago in the amateurs and both are 220 or more today and neither is sloppy fat.
I agree with this text but not with the last 3 lines. It is ridiculous. A NATURAL guy who now is not fat or inflated at 220 never ever could have fought at 125 pounds. Impossible
I didn't say they weren't fat, I said they weren't "sloppy fat." They're both around 5-8 or 9, and both in their 50s now. I've seen both of them spar in the last 5-6 years, one lightly, the other harder. They're not built like a prime Mike Tyson, but they 're not someone that you'd point out as being completely out of shape.
I am 6'1 1/2 i am 226/228 now and my frame is only maybe a little over an average man,not particularly a giant and i can't weigh under 200 pounds, Under 200 i am skin and bone so i am trying to imagine a guy who weighs 220 pounds "not looking out of shape" and fought at 125 Years ago... Hard to imagine but i believe your word
And i agree that hagler could fight at lower weight class but i would not say 140. 154 for sure and maybe 147 he was a small mw. Monzón however was a bigger guy with bigger bone structure
Yes he was often modest about himself wasn’t he lol. Seriously though where did you see him? I met Cooper when he was doing the after dinner circuit lovely fella Henry.