When did cutting weight become a big part of boxing?

rule changes in sport rarely cause large changes immediately, it takes time for people to adapt and, especially if they are winning, a ' keep doing what's working' mentality is inevitable.

 

I don't have too much knowledge on this subject but I feel like it's been going on for several decades but more fighters nowadays take it to the extreme

 

What was he then?

 

Its crazy how some think that cutting weight is some new phenomenon .. whether its boxing or wrestling or whatever ..... As long as there is a weigh in .. some athletes cut for it .. just the same

 

Merry Xmas to all , well to those who celebrate.
Its 6am here in the UK. keep well.

 

He was a middleweight. On other days he was a light-heavyweight. In the 1940s.

Often beating up welters too.

Yes, he cut down.

The introduction of the super middle division hasn't been good for the middleweight division or the light heavyweight division. I will say that.

 

Well you have me even more confused now. Now I am wondering more, exactly what did you mean by a "1940s MW" ? Were you saying LaMotta's weight was unique or exceptional in some way in his era?
He was a big middleweight who had to cut down for the 160 limit. We agree on that.
But I thought you were roughly arguing that cutting weight has been quite normal since forever, so I don't really get the "wasn't a 1940s" part. I mean, that was the thing that caught my attention.



Actually, I withdraw the question.

 

Exactly, and this IS the Main Point when it comes to Past vs. Present...

people always wanting to compare great Middleweights for example, with the RJJ's or the Calz or the Bhops for example, blindly and often wilfully forgetting that RJJ, Calz and the Bhop's, would ALL Have Been L-HWs cum Heavyweights in the Past.

these FALSE Division competitors have to stop, Fighters SHOULD All be fighting in & around their Natural Stature's Biological weight.

in other words, if your a 5'11" Man, walking around FIT at 178lbs for example, then You ARE a S-MW cum L-HW Fighter, your NOT a Welter or Middleweight... same Day Weigh-In's would help to return Boxing to that proper Divisional Competitions, as it WAS for Decades.

Boxer's used to be PROUD and Awarded and Noted for fighting UP a Division or two, now we've had approx 40 years of fighters Fighting DOWN 20 & 30lbs, ridiculous and a LIE!

 

They were cutting weight when there were same day weigh-ins but not to the degree they do today.

When Pacquiao was fighting at 122 and 126, he was entering the ring 15 pounds heavier.

Some welters and middleweights enter the ring weighing 20 lbs heavier.

Some fighter back before the next day weigh-in would dehydrate to make weight, but the knew the degree to wish they could get away with it and not be a dead man walking, though some fighters did miscalculate and in the effort to get the last couple of pounds off of themselves would enter the ring life-less, just a walking corpse of themselves.
The diciplined fighters knew though and mantained themselves close enough to their natural weight were shedding a few pounds to make weight on fight night was'nt going to completely zap themselves.