When was this practice done away done away with and why? Has this changed the sport in any way? How would it affect boxing at the lighter weights if it was brought back?
Well for starters it is generally accepted that Arturo Gatti wouldn't have rehydrated over 20 pounds and nearly taken Joey Gamache's head off in their fight. Also fighters like Margarito, Baldomir, and Clottey probably wouldn't have rehydrated from Welter to Super Middle by fight time.
Another reason, boxing went to ****, along with 15 round fights being abolished, we have middleweights fighting welters, which is total bull****, like the previous poster said, Gatti, Gamanche, is the poster child for this. I don't know why same day weigh ins, were abandoned, but I would like to see them brought back..
It wouldn't be so bad if they were just Middleweights Dave K, but the 3 I mentioned were Super Middles, or above by fight time. It is frightening that Clottey, Marg, and Baldomir could hit 147, and then the next day enter the ring at 168 -170. I first spotted it on you tube where there was clip of Shane Mosley signing books stating that he weighs 160 by fight time, but how that was nothing compared to the bigger guys mentioned above.
this is where it gets murky too when people ask about say a middleweight from today against a middleweight from 40s/ 50s / 60s / 70s......there could be 10lbs difference to how they are in the ring
Well, if you want to get technical, they shouldn't weigh hardly anything, if anything at all, above the contracted weight. You're right though- a fighter coming in 2, 3, 4 weight classes bigger isn't really an honest thing. Its that modern science has found ways to cheat, plain and simple.
Yeah, dougie... Take Graziano for instance... He weighed low to mid 150's as a middleweight. So around 154, 155 or so. He was fighting many guys who were naturally bigger, like walked around a full weight class bigger, but at the same time, these days he could easily make welter. Some would argue 140, but I won't go that far- he looked pretty cut. It does get hazy.
Excellent work there Dave. Reading through that, it makes perfect sense now. The reason for the thread was that I was watching Basilio-Fullmer 1 last night, and their of their weights came up. It reminded me of the days when same-day weigh in's were the norm. Fullmer had to cut weight a little to make 160, and then estimated that by fight time which was 2 hours later, he had rehydrated to 163 lbs. Basilio weighed in at well under the middleweight limit (155 lbs. I think it was) and put on 1-2 lbs. by fight time.
Julio Cesar Chavez jr. weighed a whopping 180 lbs. by the time he fought Sergio Martinez lat year in a middleweight title fight. He was effectively a cruiserweight by fight time.
