Why do fighters fight so far below their 'normal' weight?

Depends. If you over do it I guess someone could maybe hurt themselves. It's difficult thing to do "cutting weight".
My personal experience never heard even any CLUE that such harmed someone's body..

 

If kids didn't cut weight to their optimal class in highschool wrestling it would be the most unfair activity you could dream up

 

Because in highschool you could weigh the same and have drastically different muscle mass. Watch how bad heavyweight highschool wrestling is and you'll understand

 

This.
Size advantage is a big thing in boxing. The bigger skilled guy will virtually always beat the smaller skilled guy.

 

Well, having 8 gold medals and sponsorship money up the wazoo doesn't hurt either.

 

bring back same day weigh ins.

 

Not really. Everyone on a competitive team is in shape. We didn't have no fatass slobs on our teams. The problem is that kids that age should not be dropping 10-20lbs. It's unhealthy and when taken to extremes can have lasting affects. It's also bad culturally they get used to the idea. Archaic systems are rather pervasive.

 

:deal

 

I don't think that's a good idea, considering boxers would continue to dehydrate to make weight. With only a matter of hours to recover from being badly weight-drained, the risk of serious injuries or worse, would significantly increase.

And however much you'd hope boxers wouldn't put their on lives at risk to gain an advantage, they would. And well all know it.

To save them from themselves, same-day weigh-ins are a no,no.

 

What makes you think walk around weight is relevant? A fighter that walks around 30 lbs heavier than weigh in weight isn't a fighter who trains in their off time. Why should a fighter fight at a weight that represents an untrained version of themselves?

 

Cutting weight is for losers the way I see it when taken to extremes because there's no downside. If they manage to do it right, they have a huge advantage vs a smaller man. If they **** up and cannot recover in time, they just say I was drained. Fanboys are so apt and readily suck that garbage up and spew it back out, like enablers even when the fighter themself says not drained lol. And they can even cheat before that with weight cutting drugs. And worse they can resort to IVboy methods, gah I'm drained and need IV. Same day weigh ins would prevent most of that because guys could not use the 24 hours to recover.

 

It's because they can get away with it now as they have 36 hours to hydrate for the fight didn't happen has much back when they weighed in on the day of the fight

 

I can't think of a perennial weight-cutter that isn't also someone I dislike rather intensely.

Broner, Chavez Jr., etc.

 

Axeman Walters seems like a good lad.