Why didn’t Ali box at heavyweight in the Olympics?

Don Cockell put on 27lbs in 18 weeks in 1952. Exactly double the weight increase we are discussing for Ali in a shade over double the time period. It's very likely Cockell put on more than 13.5lbs in those first 8 weeks. That's off the top of my head with next to no thought, they'll be plenty of other examples. Weight draining has gone to new extremes in the era of 24 hour weigh ins, but it most certainly pre-dates them.

 

Some people actually believe Roberto Duran went from 147 to over 200 (53+ pounds) and then back down to 147 between June 20 and November 25, 1980.

 

Seems unlikely.

Cockell weighed 174.25lbs vs Randy Turpin on 10th June 1952.

In his next fight, versus Paddy Slavin on 14th October of the same year, he was 201.5lbs.

That's a 27.25lbs gain in 18-weeks.

 

After winning the FW title, Armstrong put on 8,5 lbs in 20 days. So that's pretty much the same relative weight gain, but in less than half the time.

 

The Duran thing is an overblown myth. Yes he partied after he beat Leonard the first time. He did not gain and then lose 50 pounds in a five-month period, a 100+ pound swing. That would be hard to do if he just laid in bed eating cake and ice cream all day and all night.

 

You may as well ask why literally any teenage light heavyweight in the Olympics didn't just "go for the HW gold to make it a marketing tool after turning pro". Spoiler alert: the main reason is going to be, in at least 99% of cases, on account of being teenage light heavyweights.

You don't think Clay had a crystal ball and could look decades ahead to Muhammad Ali's page on Wikipedia to know how things would turn out, right? At the present moment he was just a teenage light heavyweight aspiring for a medal in the division he then called home.

 

Because he could still make the amateur LHW limit.

 

Yes Ali still had a growing teenage physique, but as said earlier, he competed at HW to make room for another American fighter.
I really do not think he would not have won at HW though.
Especially uinder amateur rules, valuing speed & volume, rewarded more tha power.

 

I think amateur Ali was a Lightheavyweight competing as a heavyweight, then because he was still within that kind of size, and Price had been beaten by De Picolli, he was able to compete in the 1960 Olympics at LHT where he stood more chance of Gold.

I understand that part.

I also understand he was going to fill out into a bigger guy. I just think the 8 weeks of training between coming back from Rome and his first pro fight built him up quite a bit more than expected considering the diet and training of that time.

The transition today wouldn’t mean much. I just think then, it seems a bit more of an interesting transition. Especially since Ali was still skinny looking at 190.

If young Ali really was only 8 weeks from 190 pounds why didn’t he campaign at heavyweight in Rome?

 

Fat is not beautiful for a kid at 18. All that extra blubber is bad for the heart, a person can develop Diabetes. No, Being fit is much more healthier in the long run.

 

He was already over the LHW limit and had to have a special diet to make 178,5. After the Olympics he moved to HW full time for the first time and probably ate to purposefully fill out, so he regained the weight he had lost to make LHW and put on a bit on top of that.

 

Cockell is not the best example because he had a glandular problem, was clearly too tight at LHW, and probably a 200 pounder making 175 for too long anyway.

He wasn’t a 18 year old Olympic athlete transitioning from amateur boxing to pro boxing.

 

That actually makes more sense Thankyou.

 

Cockell was a whale of a catch, he had health issues like you said Chok.