Why do boxers have to gain weight to fight in heavier divisions?

[The Problem Child]

IMO, weight classes are extremely overrated. Only in boxing will you see someone call a 154 pounder too big for a 147 pounder lol. It's ridiculous. I'm 175 right now and I have beaten 220+ HWs to an inch of their life in the streets. I once beat a 6'6 NFL linebacker and I'm just 5'7-5-8. The guy was like 260, I ran thru him like a freight train. Got jailed for battery and assault.

To me weight and size are overrated.

[OnePunch]

Most states regulate the allowable weight difference (at the time of the weigh-in) between the fighters. In Florida for example, a 147 pound fighter could not fight a 160 pound fighter, because regulations only allow for a 12 pound maximum spread. Different states have different rules......


(2)***8195;The commission shall establish by rule the acceptable difference in weight between participants; however, the maximum difference in weight in boxing matches shall not exceed 12 pounds, except matches in the cruiserweight and heavyweight classes and exhibitions held solely for training purposes.

[boliodogs]

They don't have to gain weight. I don't know where you heard that but it's not true. Bradley can fight Cotto at 147 pounds or 139 pounds or 133 pounds or whatever weight he chooses and there is no rule against that. If the weight difference is too extreme the boxing commission might look into it but there is no rule that says a fighter must weigh enough to be in the same weight class as his opponent. Bob Fitzsimmons won the world heavyweight title at 165 pounds and 165 pounds ain't no heavyweight.

[kafkod]

He doesn't have to, he can come in at whatever weight he wants too. Manny fight for his Jr mw title only weighing 144 pounds Lol.

True. You just have to come in under the specified limit for the division you are fighting in.

A lot of the time, what happens is that the lighter guy comes in heavier because he doesn't need to cut weight the way he does in a lower division.

Other times he will gain weight deliberately by increasing calories and lifting weights because he figures that will give him more power and a better chance of beating the bigger guy.

[boliodogs]

This is what I mean, people like you assume lighter fighters will always lose to heavier fighters

Case and point with Pacquiao vs Magarito, probably a 15lbs to 20lbs difference between the 2 fighters. And look what happened.
Had Pacquiao gained 6lbs of muscle and weighed 150, he would have been worse not better.

Do you also think a welterweight Mayweather would get destroyed by Cotto just because Cotto is suddenly a MW?
A 147lbs Mayweather would beat a MW Cotto and MW Sergio Martinez
Does this mean hes not really the MW champion just because he doesnt weigh the same?

As I said weight is important but SKILL is more important
Did you ever consider if guys like Pacquiao and Mayweather moved to 160lbs they would be inferior fighters compared to how they were at 147lbs? Because the added weight is not suited to their bodies.

Canelo could have been 30lbs heavier than Mayweather and still got outclassed. Weight means nothing if youre missing the entire fight.

I agree with everything you said except the part about Canelo could have been 30 pounds heavier than Mayweather. Mayweather weighs about 150 on fight night. Canelo would need to weigh 180 pounds on fight night to outweigh Floyd be 30 pounds. Canelo weighed in at 152 pounds so it would be impossible for him to gain 28 pounds of weight in 30 hours. He might have gained 15 pounds and outweighed Mayweather 168 to 150. That would be possible.

[boliodogs]

Sorry about my math being off but I just woke up. If Canelo gained a full 15 pounds after weighing in at 152 then he would weight 167 on fight night compared to about 150 for Mayweather on fight night. That's a large 17 pound weight edge for Canelo but a long way from a 30 pound weight edge. No matter how much weight Canelo gained after the weigh in making 152 probably weakened him and hurt his performance.

[Doctor_Tenma]

I was wondering the same when Marquez fought Mayweather and Bradley. It's like fighters don't analyze the situation properly and think they should bulk up simply because they're moving up.

[boliodogs]

This is what I mean, people like you assume lighter fighters will always lose to heavier fighters

Case and point with Pacquiao vs Magarito, probably a 15lbs to 20lbs difference between the 2 fighters. And look what happened.
Had Pacquiao gained 6lbs of muscle and weighed 150, he would have been worse not better.

Do you also think a welterweight Mayweather would get destroyed by Cotto just because Cotto is suddenly a MW?
A 147lbs Mayweather would beat a MW Cotto and MW Sergio Martinez
Does this mean hes not really the MW champion just because he doesnt weigh the same?

As I said weight is important but SKILL is more important
Did you ever consider if guys like Pacquiao and Mayweather moved to 160lbs they would be inferior fighters compared to how they were at 147lbs? Because the added weight is not suited to their bodies.

Canelo could have been 30lbs heavier than Mayweather and still got outclassed. Weight means nothing if youre missing the entire fight.

Most states regulate the allowable weight difference (at the time of the weigh-in) between the fighters. In Florida for example, a 147 pound fighter could not fight a 160 pound fighter, because regulations only allow for a 12 pound maximum spread. Different states have different rules......


(2)***8195;The commission shall establish by rule the acceptable difference in weight between participants; however, the maximum difference in weight in boxing matches shall not exceed 12 pounds, except matches in the cruiserweight and heavyweight classes and exhibitions held solely for training purposes.

I did not know about that rule so I was wrong and I agree with the thread starter that new rules like that are stupid. Henry Armstrong couldn't have accomplished winning the featherweight, lightweight and welterweight titles and holding all three titles at the same time with a stupid rule like that in place.

[SthPaw]

The way I thought it was is if a fighter at 147 wants to fight somebody in the 154 division, he could be able to come in weighing anything in between 147-154. I.e, anything as long as it is above welter, below jr. middle...therefore anything other than this would not be honouring the weight division that that particular title/ranking is held in. I get what some of you are saying though and there are few good points here, but I believe weight classes should be honoured.