which one is more difficult...

[Daddy T]

if there was the proper number of weight classes it wouldn't even be an issue I mean take middle and super middle. Just have a broadened middleweight division - Hopkins, Jones,Toney, Benn,Collins, Eubank,Calzaghe, etc would all be in a broadening middleweight class and then just one mother****ing belt to fight over ... simple. Having too many weight classes and too many belts just gives excuses for the best not to fight eachother there'd be no question of who's dominating the division or whatever there'd be THE champ and the rest.

Today you'd have the super six guys plus Pavlik,Williams, Martinez etc ... it would be an awesome division and thats just one example.

As for jumping a weight class that should be a real big deal. And back in the day it was, each divison was a proper division in of itself well seperated from the division directly above and below and each division had a champion - today each division has a bunch of dudes lets call em 'belt holders' and just you try and pick 3 or 4 divisions and name THE CHAMPION in each. So guys like pac or floyd can go up through a bunch of weight classes fight a guy who might only be 3rd or 4th best at the weight and then claim to be a world title holder at that weight ... fair enough they are but they are not THE CHAMPION.

[StarshipTrooper]

if there was the proper number of weight classes it wouldn't even be an issue I mean take middle and super middle. Just have a broadened middleweight division - Hopkins, Jones,Toney, Benn,Collins, Eubank,Calzaghe, etc would all be in a broadening middleweight class and then just one mother****ing belt to fight over ... simple. Having too many weight classes and too many belts just gives excuses for the best not to fight eachother there'd be no question of who's dominating the division or whatever there'd be THE champ and the rest.

Today you'd have the super six guys plus Pavlik,Williams, Martinez etc ... it would be an awesome division and thats just one example.

As for jumping a weight class that should be a real big deal. And back in the day it was, each divison was a proper division in of itself well seperated from the division directly above and below and each division had a champion - today each division has a bunch of dudes lets call em 'belt holders' and just you try and pick 3 or 4 divisions and name THE CHAMPION in each. So guys like pac or floyd can go up through a bunch of weight classes fight a guy who might only be 3rd or 4th best at the weight and then claim to be a world title holder at that weight ... fair enough they are but they are not THE CHAMPION.

I've been saying that for the better part of 20 years! Great post.

Poet

[StarshipTrooper]

What aspect of biology decides when a fighter should move up?

Age. Once you get past a certain age it gets harder and harder to keep the weight off. It's even worse if you blow up between fights. The primary reason Duran moved up to Welter from Lightweight is he found he couldn't take the weight off as easily as he could in his early to mid 20s.

Poet