So basically Floyd and Pac's 154 belts are meaningless

Agree.

Big time Dawson fan. You should have read the things Hopkins fans were saying entering their rematch. Honestly made me lose some of my liking for Hopkins just because of how over the top they were. And now everybody jumps on Dawson ten fold because of the Ward fight. He will forever be underrated, I fear...

 

It's unchamplike to ask to defend at a CW, there's a reason nobody can come up with a precedent. Regular CWs have been around forever, the purpose is clear. Even paper champs like to think of themselves as a genuine champ. As such, you shouldn't have to weight handicap the contender, much less a noncontender like Marg. Unless you feel like a blown up paper champ.

 

It was a very risky bet, though didn't sound that bad at the time cause Ward is no puncher. Before Ward I thought Dawson was a sure future HOF, now I think it'll be an uphill climb. Though it came with prebuilt excuses, it might be damaging long term.

 

:deal

 

Because very few guys who have already won belts either don't belong at the weight or aren't carrying the particular grudge associated with the one in question. Look at it another way: Cotto was giving Margarito the opportunity not to shed the extra 2 pounds he had to for his previous fight! We should be praising him for his generosity and for giving Margarito a fight on more even terms.

Regular CWs are not equivalent to CWs for belts. You shouldn't have to weight handicap a champion unless your desire is to merely be a paper champ. You can weight handicap a challenger by contrast if you've already established your legitimacy at the class; it won't be a quality win, but owning the belt doesn't make you as far in the wrong as you would be to demand it of a current champ as a challenger.

 

the logic that two fighters fighting for a vaccant belt at a division neither has proven shyt in at a catch weight?

I'd say yea....that belt is a COMPLETE FARCE!!

I never said anything about unifying anything either...thats your insert.

 

Fighting for a vacant belt is a necessity, unfortunately. I see your point but there's some time no other option, like when a champion decides to retire, move out of the division or who just decide against defending their title.

Let's say they let someone like Jose Cotto and Matthew Hatton to fight for a belt at 154...but since both of them aren't really a 154 lb fighter, they make the title fight at 150....I'd say yea....the belt is a complete farce because the fighters are not established, never held a world title and don't have the resume to support such a fight.

With guys like Sugar Ray Leonard and Manny Pacquciao their body of work warrants different exceptions based on what they've done in moving up through the different weight classes. Just my opinion.

 

ITT: people who want to discredit Floyd's 154 belts but think Manny is brave warrior for his joke of a 154 strap...it must suck to be so pants on head ******ed that you are unable to be critical of any fighter the same skin color as you.

 

Rank these 3 wins. My rankings would be the following.

Floyd over ODLH
Floyd over Cotto
Manny over Margarito

 

I don't think many people looked at any of those fights as a joke going into them. Floyd-Oscar was the biggest and most important fight of the last 15 years, the numbers prove it. Hindsight is 20/20 and it is easy to be critical retrospectively. Floyd-Cotto had to happen, it happened a couple years to late but still happened. Manny-Margarito people totally bought into the "David vs Goliath" way they sold it, hell I kind of did too. I didn't know it would look as much like Little Mac teeing off on King Hippo as it did though

 

All the 154 belts are worthless

Canelos was won vacant vs Matthew Hatton

Beating Matthew Hatton doesn't make you the champ, regardless of the fact you got a strap for it

The current best win in the 154 division is Floyd vs Cotto, and Trout over Cotto

Since none of the other top fighters have fought or look to be fighting soon...the only legitimate changing of hands of a belt in the division occured between two fighter who aren't legitimate 154ers - Floyd & Cotto