Do Junior Weight Divisions Water Down the Sport?

[-PBP-]

Naw, these weight divisions didn't just pop up when PBC was introduced. The last major division was what the cruiserweight division about 30 years ago.

Maybe it's the big fights not happening that makes it look water downed.

Has nothing to do with PBC. Just in general. Look at Terence Crawford. He beat the man at 140. Now what? He literally has no one to fight.

[bigjavi973]

I was browsing through the UFC website and noticed there are only 8 weight classes. Boxing currently has 17. Boxing used to operate similarly: (Fly/Bantam/Feather/Light/Welter/Middle/LHW/HW)

There are several reasons why junior weight divisions exist. Maybe safety and more sanctioning fees for the organizations. But from a competitive standpoint, do they water down and hurt the sport?

For example, imagine weight divisions that looked like this:

Middleweight:

Golovkin
Canelo
Lara
Cotto
Charlo X 2
J Rock
Jacobs
Lemieux
Andrade
Saunders

Light Heavyweight

Stevenson
Kovalev
Ward
Jack
DeGale
Beterbeiv
Zurdo
Dirrell X 2
Groves
Brahmer

Welterweight

Brook
Thurman
Spence
Crawford
Porter
Garcia
Peterson
Postol
Bradley
Vargas
Broner

Bantamweight

Chocolatito
Rigondeaux
Yanamaka
Chemito
Rau'Shee
McDonnell
Cuadras
Inoue
Estrada
Tete
Kameda

By removing the junior divisions, the rankings would be much more solid from one to 10, being a long reigning division champion will be more meaningful, the number of champions would decrease, the sport would be easier to follow for casuals, and most importantly, better fights would be made.

Are you for or against junior weight divisions?

More belts = more $$$$$

Included in that is the "extra" belts that are always made.

WBC World
WBC Diamond
WBC Silver
WBC interim

That's just the top 4 belts the WBC has that im positive they charge sanctioning fees for....

multiply that by the 17 divions = ALOT of extra $$$$$

that's just the WBC btw.

[MasterPlan]

Has nothing to do with PBC. Just in general. Look at Terence Crawford. He beat the man at 140. Now what? He literally has no one to fight.

He's only had 4 fights at 140. He has plenty to choose from they're just on the other side of the fence. Plus I only see him fighting one more at 140 than moving up.

[BlakBread904]

They obviously water down the sport & I'd be pro losing them.

I'd also be pro losing some lower weight divisions in general. Right now boxing has 17 weight divisions & 8 of the 17 are for guys who weigh 135lbs or less. I don't even talk to any grown men who weight 135 f#cking pounds ffs. I could live with there being 118lbs, 126lbs & 135lbs.

I disagree...the lower weight classes are quite popular in other parts of the world, especially Asia and Latin America.

I am all in favor of eliminating the junior/super classes though. is there any science that would support their existence? It looks like another sanctioning body cash grab.

[MasterPlan]

I disagree...the lower weight classes are quite popular in other parts of the world, especially Asia and Latin America.

I am all in favor of eliminating the junior/super classes though. is there any science that would support their existence? It looks like another sanctioning body cash grab.

So a three pound difference is fine because it's popular in Asia but why make 12-15 pound difference between Welterweight and Middleweight. And Middleweight to Light Heavyweight.

[NEETzsche]

I think the biggest issue is the gap between 175 and heavyweight. Everything in between should be manageable. In the mini weight classes you got 3/4 division champions that only moved up 10 pounds.

yeah, you could put cruiserweight back where it was originally, at 190, and then have both a heavyweight and super heavyweight division above it

[Ray Corso]

The junior classes are fine for prelim bouts and main event ten rounders. When titled fights are involved the junior division is eliminated, the scales go back to same morning weigh ins and the divisions become legit once again.
175 to 191 was the old cruiser class and that works out ok!

Ray

[Raggamuffin]

I was browsing through the UFC website and noticed there are only 8 weight classes. Boxing currently has 17. Boxing used to operate similarly: (Fly/Bantam/Feather/Light/Welter/Middle/LHW/HW)

There are several reasons why junior weight divisions exist. Maybe safety and more sanctioning fees for the organizations. But from a competitive standpoint, do they water down and hurt the sport?

For example, imagine weight divisions that looked like this:

Middleweight:

Golovkin
Canelo
Lara
Cotto
Charlo X 2
J Rock
Jacobs
Lemieux
Andrade
Saunders

Light Heavyweight

Stevenson
Kovalev
Ward
Jack
DeGale
Beterbeiv
Zurdo
Dirrell X 2
Groves
Brahmer

Welterweight

Brook
Thurman
Spence
Crawford
Porter
Garcia
Peterson
Postol
Bradley
Vargas
Broner

Bantamweight

Chocolatito
Rigondeaux
Yanamaka
Chemito
Rau'Shee
McDonnell
Cuadras
Inoue
Estrada
Tete
Kameda

By removing the junior divisions, the rankings would be much more solid from one to 10, being a long reigning division champion will be more meaningful, the number of champions would decrease, the sport would be easier to follow for casuals, and most importantly, better fights would be made.

Are you for or against junior weight divisions?

They don't water down the sport. They are hurting the sport. If you get rid of the JR divisions, we would see many more great fights. And the contenders would have to fight each other.

[Raggamuffin]

And we don't need to bring back same day weighins either.

[b00g13man]

There'd definitely be the possibility of better fights due to the reduced number of belts. That's a vote against them from me.