? The Story Of the Weigh In ?

[LondonRingRules]

was it also connected with mancini - duk koo? or was it before/after?
thank you

** Day before weigh ins and 12 round fights came after the Kim/Mancini fight. That fight became international news and caused the boxing orgs to start up commissions to improve safety proceedures.

[wmute]

Just saw this thread, my friend, and while I dont know the answers off-hand, I could see what I can dig up for you.

Off the top of my head, I think the day-befores came around sometime in the mid 80s (they still had them in the early 80s), and no, I dont believe that the change was a direct result of the tragic Mancini-Kim fight, although Ill see what I can dig up.

thank you!

[wmute]

** Day before weigh ins and 12 round fights came after the Kim/Mancini fight. That fight became international news and caused the boxing orgs to start up commissions to improve safety proceedures.

thank you!

[hhascup]

The "day before" weigh-in was originally set up in the late 70's and early 80's for the big media fights (Ali, etc.) so they could have press conferences and photo shoots.

[Yogi]

The "day before" weigh-in was originally set up in the late 60's and early 70's for the big media fights (Ali, etc.) so they could have press conferences and photo shoots.

Did it go through a test period or something at the time, Henry, or possibly wasn't wildly accepted for a number of years?

I'm only asking because I do distinctly remember same day weigh-ins in the late 70's/early 80's, and in fact, Sabbath & I discussed a (non)fight in the past on here where the whole story basically revolved around the same day weigh-in and that was the scheduled and then cancelled Spinks/Mustafa rematch in '83, I believe it was.

[hhascup]

Did it go through a test period or something at the time, Henry, or possibly wasn't wildly accepted for a number of years?

I'm only asking because I do distinctly remember same day weigh-ins in the late 70's/early 80's, and in fact, Sabbath & I discussed a (non)fight in the past on here where the whole story basically revolved around the same day weigh-in and that was the scheduled and then cancelled Spinks/Mustafa rematch in '83, I believe it was.

Yes, I meant to say 70's or 80's, sorry. I made the correction.

Here's what I found:

Same-day weigh-ins got tossed by the wayside back in 1981, when Eddie Mustapha Muhammad came in overweight for a light-heavyweight unification match with Michael Spinks. Back in the day, this was a legit superfight with all the attendant hoopla.

Spinks refused to go through with the fight, even after Eddie proposed just making it a nontitle go. Spinks was pissed because, as he said, he sacrificed and trained hard to make the weight, and if Muhammad couldn’t bother to do the same, then screw it ...

The promoter, HBO, the alphabets and the commissions decided that in the future, all weigh-ins would be the day before, so that a cancellation like this would never happen again.




Also:

The fight between Griffith and Benvenuti was outdoors at Shea Stadium, and they both weighed in the day of the fight. Benvenuti weighed 160 pounds and Griffith weighed 155 pounds. There was inclement weather that afternoon, and the fight got postponed to the next day.

The next day, they made them weighed in again, and Benvenuti weighed 159¾! and Emile weighed 154!

[LondonRingRules]

The "day before" weigh-in was originally set up in the late 70's and early 80's for the big media fights (Ali, etc.) so they could have press conferences and photo shoots.

** No they didn't. At any rate, don't confuse the heavies with the other divisions.

[wmute]

Yes, I meant to say 70's or 80's, sorry. I made the correction.

Here's what I found:

Same-day weigh-ins got tossed by the wayside back in 1981, when Eddie Mustapha Muhammad came in overweight for a light-heavyweight unification match with Michael Spinks. Back in the day, this was a legit superfight with all the attendant hoopla.

Spinks refused to go through with the fight, even after Eddie proposed just making it a nontitle go. Spinks was pissed because, as he said, he sacrificed and trained hard to make the weight, and if Muhammad couldn’t bother to do the same, then screw it ...

The promoter, HBO, the alphabets and the commissions decided that in the future, all weigh-ins would be the day before, so that a cancellation like this would never happen again.




Also:

The fight between Griffith and Benvenuti was outdoors at Shea Stadium, and they both weighed in the day of the fight. Benvenuti weighed 160 pounds and Griffith weighed 155 pounds. There was inclement weather that afternoon, and the fight got postponed to the next day.

The next day, they made them weighed in again, and Benvenuti weighed 159¾! and Emile weighed 154!

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to hhascup again.

[hhascup]

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to hhascup again.

Thanks "Wmute" I even reached out to some other experts on this and here's what one of them stated:

After the Eddie Mustapha-Michael Spinks unification bout that didn't come off in 81 (actually it was 1983). Eddie weighed in at 180 & proposed they make it a non-title fight. Spinks told him to go to hell because he had sacrificed & lost the weight & felt Eddie should have also.

The fight was canceled & HBO & the Promoters were left holding the bag instead of raking it in for what was a super fight in it's day.

Shortly after that to protetct the promoters & networks the alphabets switched to day before weigh ins for he "health" & "security" of the fighters.

Stephen Gordon
Editor/www.cyberboxingzone.com


Here's what I found out about the Mancini/Kim affair:

Just so you know, Kim had to struggle mightily to lose weight on the days prior to the bout with Ray Mancini so that he could weigh in under the Lightweight's 135 pound limit, or, as they say in boxing, "make weight". Prophetically, he wrote the message "kill or be killed" on his Las Vegas hotel room's mirror only days before the bout.


Actually the Muhammad-Spinks bout was cancelled in 1983:

Published: July 22, 1983

Eddie Mustafa Muhammad issued an apology of sorts yesterday for the cancellation of his light heavyweight title bout against the champion, Michael Spinks, last week.


The bout was cancelled after Mustafa Muhammad refused to take off 2 1/2 pounds to make the 175-pound weight limit. ''I realize,'' the boxer said in a statement billed as an apology, ''that had I made an attempt at losing the weight, my status in the boxing world would not have deteriorated as it has.'' When questioned, however, the fighter sounded less than contrite. ''I don't regret what I have done because I am a man of principle,'' he said, ''but someone has to apologize.'



I do believe their were bouts before that that were a day before including:

Sean Curtin worked on the Illinois Commission in 1987 when Chapo Rosario fought Juan Nazario and the weigh in was the day of the fight.
However in December of 1982 when Ossie Ocasio fought Young Joe Louis the weigh in was the night before.

Curtin does think the overweight Mustafa Muhammad Eddie Gregory had a lot to do with weigh ins the day before.

This is from Johnny Boz:

I THINK THE IBF STARTED IT IN THE ABOUT 1987 AS I REMEMBER BEING AT DAY OF THE FIGHT WEIGH INS WITH BILLY COSTELLO IN 84-85