I am trying to figure out exactly when the top boxers of the early 80s had their last same-day weigh-ins. For example, which fight was Hagler's last with a same-day weigh-in? I would also be interested in Duran, SRL, Hearns, M.Spinks, Curry, Pryor, Pedroza, etc. Anyone happen to have any info on this?
Nobody? I'm confused because I'd heard that boxing switched to day-before weigh-ins around 1983/1984, but it appears that Hagler had same-day weigh-ins against Hearns (1985), Mugabi (1986), and Leonard (1987).
Duran had same-day weigh-ins against Barkley and Leonard in 1989, and Chavez v. Taylor had a same-day weigh-in in 1990. When were same-day weigh-ins finally discontinued?
I've actually had a brief look into this and it seems there is no precise date of switch-over, from same-day to day-before, for any of the governing bodies. Hagler did weigh in the same day for all three of the bouts you mention above. However, I seem to recall Larry Holmes weighing in the day before a bout, as far back as 1980. I think the Lorenzo Zanon bout was a day-before weigh-in. I am not absolutely sure, but I think by 1990, the day-before-weigh-ins had been generally adopted, across the board. The early-to-mid-80s is often cited because I think it was at this time that a couple of high-profile cases came to light which prompted the WBC to spearhead the want for a change. It does not seem, however, that everyone simply jumped on that bandwagon - or if there were or ever had been any hardened rules about the timings of weigh-ins at all.
Thanks. It's interesting how such easily-disproven myths (same-day weigh-ins ended with Spinks-EMM) get spread until they become the conventional wisdom.
If someone could enlighten me - why did the various sanctioning bodies switch? I'd think, except obviously for heavyweights, the same-day weigh in would prevent the crazed weight-shifts where a middleweight winds up entering the ring closer to LHW limit; sure, all the fighters can gorge/hydrate themselves into the weight gain and that probably nullifies any advantage, but doesn't that sort of diffuse the idea of specific weight classes? Any insight appreciated - spt
The conventional wisdom seems to be that they switched because of the Ray Mancin-Deuk Koo-Kim incident and/or the Spinks-Eddie Mustafa Muhammad fiasco: http://www.nytimes.com/1983/07/16/sports/title-bout-is-called-off-challenger-overweight.html
Thanks ... hmph. Guess I understand, but at the same time - these are supposed to be pros. There are pre-established weight classes, with specific weights; LHW is 175 lbs, not 175-ish. The fighter KNOWS when he's supposed to weigh in, and what he should weigh. If he's over, tough sh!t ... pull his purse, and all that time spent training is wasted because he couldn't stay away from that second helping of mashed potatoes. He loses a place or two in his ranking, and has to climb back up the ladder. I can't help but think of the Martinez-Chavez Jr fight, where Sergio entered the ring as a true middleweight, while JCC came in - after barely making the weight at the day before weigh-in - rehydrated to nearly 170. Sorry for the grousing, I'm just old-school purist about this stuff - thanks again for the input.
Indeed. Myths are most often spawned from a little bit of truth. Add a pinch of distortion; a good dose of repetition and a sprinkle of blurring history and the myth becomes accepted, as a blanket truth.
