Catchweights

[luke1979]

The Pac-Marg catchweight is annoying.

BUT...if it wasn't for catchweights we would miss out on a lot of fights.

• Floyd vs. Marquez
• De La Hoya vs. Pacquiao
• De La Hoya vs. Hopkins

etc. etc.

So yes it sucks but at the same time we would've missed out on a lot of fights.

All three of those fights were one sided non competative bouts and are anything but an endorsment of catch weight fights. They only serve to illustrate that catch weight fights are bad for the fans and the bad for the sport.
The growing trend toward catch weight bouts seems to only serve the select few boxers who after legitimately gaining a title at one weight then dictate them to gain advantage and massage their records and bank accounts.
A boxers earning potential comes from his status so this is a way of keeping that status as long as possible. Why bother actually defending a title to ''mandatory'' opponents when you can now invent a weight and fight whoever has the most celebrity value and really cash in.
Boxing has enough of a credibilty problem with mutiple sanctioning bodies, self serving promoters agendas, now actual boxers with the same power and self serving agendas and lets not forget TV networks who can also dictate who fights who. Why bother having any rules at all in boxing if promoters and fighters and TV networks can ignore them and do their own thing, oh and charge the fans a premium to watch it.
I don't have a problem with catch weight bouts but they are just one of the problems which in recent times have only been used to make a mockery of boxing as a credible sport.

[{Pito}]

All three of those fights were one sided non competative bouts and are anything but an endorsment of catch weight fights. They only serve to illustrate that catch weight fights are bad for the fans and the bad for the sport.
The growing trend toward catch weight bouts seems to only serve the select few boxers who after legitimately gaining a title at one weight then dictate them to gain advantage and massage their records and bank accounts.
A boxers earning potential comes from his status so this is a way of keeping that status as long as possible. Why bother actually defending a title to ''mandatory'' opponents when you can now invent a weight and fight whoever has the most celebrity value and really cash in.
Boxing has enough of a credibilty problem with mutiple sanctioning bodies, self serving promoters agendas, now actual boxers with the same power and self serving agendas and lets not forget TV networks who can also dictate who fights who. Why bother having any rules at all in boxing if promoters and fighters and TV networks can ignore them and do their own thing, oh and charge the fans a premium to watch it.
I don't have a problem with catch weight bouts but they are just one of the problems which in recent times the have only been used to make a mockery of boxing as a credible sport.

Co-signed. Green K

[SirTomJones]

The Pac-Marg catchweight is annoying.

BUT...if it wasn't for catchweights we would miss out on a lot of fights.

• Floyd vs. Marquez
• De La Hoya vs. Pacquiao
• De La Hoya vs. Hopkins

etc. etc.

So yes it sucks but at the same time we would've missed out on a lot of fights.

Missing those 3 fights would not have been such a loss in my eyes.

[ИATAS]

All three of those fights were one sided non competative bouts and are anything but an endorsment of catch weight fights. They only serve to illustrate that catch weight fights are bad for the fans and the bad for the sport.

How about Gatti vs Ward I, II and III? All catweight fights...

The growing trend toward catch weight bouts seems to only serve the select few boxers who after legitimately gaining a title at one weight then dictate them to gain advantage and massage their records and bank accounts.
A boxers earning potential comes from his status so this is a way of keeping that status as long as possible. Why bother actually defending a title to ''mandatory'' opponents when you can now invent a weight and fight whoever has the most celebrity value and really cash in.
Boxing has enough of a credibilty problem with mutiple sanctioning bodies, self serving promoters agendas, now actual boxers with the same power and self serving agendas and lets not forget TV networks who can also dictate who fights who. Why bother having any rules at all in boxing if promoters and fighters and TV networks can ignore them and do their own thing, oh and charge the fans a premium to watch it.
I don't have a problem with catch weight bouts but they are just one of the problems which in recent times the have only been used to make a mockery of boxing as a credible sport.

I wouldn't go that far in regards to catweights, however I agree that this belt is meaningless (which it was before any catchweight was mentioned).

I don't know who else there is for Pac to fight though really. There is Andre Berto and P-Williams, berto would be my choice (problem is with haymon and bob arum though), mosley is scheduled to fight and that doesn't leave too many other realistic options.

[SirTomJones]

All three of those fights were one sided non competative bouts and are anything but an endorsment of catch weight fights. They only serve to illustrate that catch weight fights are bad for the fans and the bad for the sport.
The growing trend toward catch weight bouts seems to only serve the select few boxers who after legitimately gaining a title at one weight then dictate them to gain advantage and massage their records and bank accounts.
A boxers earning potential comes from his status so this is a way of keeping that status as long as possible. Why bother actually defending a title to ''mandatory'' opponents when you can now invent a weight and fight whoever has the most celebrity value and really cash in.
Boxing has enough of a credibilty problem with mutiple sanctioning bodies, self serving promoters agendas, now actual boxers with the same power and self serving agendas and lets not forget TV networks who can also dictate who fights who. Why bother having any rules at all in boxing if promoters and fighters and TV networks can ignore them and do their own thing, oh and charge the fans a premium to watch it.
I don't have a problem with catch weight bouts but they are just one of the problems which in recent times the have only been used to make a mockery of boxing as a credible sport.

Top post son.

[luke1979]

How about Gatti vs Ward I, II and III? All catweight fights...




I wouldn't go that far in regards to catweights, however I agree that this belt is meaningless (which it was before any catchweight was mentioned).

I don't know who else there is for Pac to fight though really. There is Andre Berto and P-Williams, berto would be my choice (problem is with haymon and bob arum though), mosley is scheduled to fight and that doesn't leave too many other realistic options.

Like I said I don't have a problem with catch weight bouts. They can be used as a great facilitator in certain curcustances like you have pointed out.
I was just trying to discuss the broarder problems with boxing as a sport which I think catch weight bouts are contributing toward.
The example your point out about Al Haymon and Bob Arum is very valid one and for me its yet another part of the same overall problem that boxing has right now.

[{Pito}]

Exactly, the problem lies in the broader picture not a particular fighter or fight.