How Did Boxers Move Up In Weight In "The Old Days"?

[QueensburyRules]

Using HGH to make weight? Ummm no.

--- Zounds! Sounds like you have experience using HGH if you care to elucidate.

Any drug has a variety of uses as I imagine HGH does. My point was Popkins was an overly large long time middle, and when he jumped, he jumped two divisions.

And that he and GB were "cleaning up boxing" while never implementing Olympic style testing or answering the charges of HGH use by Popkins well into his 40s. And kowtowing to TUE who stiffed them royally with Haymon

[OctoberRed]

--- Zounds! Sounds like you have experience using HGH if you care to elucidate.

Any drug has a variety of uses as I imagine HGH does. My point was Popkins was an overly large long time middle, and when he jumped, he jumped two divisions.

And that he and GB were "cleaning up boxing" while never implementing Olympic style testing or answering the charges of HGH use by Popkins well into his 40s. And kowtowing to TUE who stiffed them royally with Haymon

What boxing did you watch? Golden Boy, due to Mayweather, led the USADA charge in drug testing. They were using VADA for nearly every fight.

What HGH charges? From who?

[QueensburyRules]

It was a different historical process than today. (1. See Corso, post # 3).

There was a strong injunction against weight training in the old days. Old time trainers really frowned on it. So you could not build up that way.

--- Fighters have always trained with weights circa Corbett who obtained some dumbells and testified they done him some good, and Sullivan in his training against Kilrain by top 'rassler of the day Muldoon who was the only guy in existence who could boss Sully into shape at that point.

What modern trainers frowned on was the resulting power lifting, bodybuilding weight lifting culture that followed, and without coincidence, that's where steroids were introduced that the press and boxing denied for decades.

[GhostofDempsey]

Draining weight is nothing new. Many fighters would "dry out" 24 hours prior to a fight by not drinking any liquids in that time. It would help them lose 10+ pounds in water weight. LaMotta did this often in order to make weight. He always said he wished there was a Super Middleweight division during his day because he always struggled to make 160 but was too small of 175.

[Mr.MojoRisin']

Dempsey literally took Epsom salt baths right before a fight to shed off extra lbs. He didn't even need to make weight, just saw the advantage of speed and conditioning over a few extra lbs.

[QueensburyRules]

What boxing did you watch? Golden Boy, due to Mayweather, led the USADA charge in drug testing. They were using VADA for nearly every fight.

What HGH charges? From who?

--- Git thee noggin out of thy bag of glue.

VADA was nonexistent while TUE was with Goldenboy.

Do you even follow boxing?

[HOUDINI563]

Higher calorie intake does the job along with training.

Weight training was done but with lighter weights and higher reps. (Dumbbells, pulleys). Also push-ups, chin-ups etc are a form of weight training but using ones own body weight as resistance. Finally roadwork in the past also incorporated other activities such as stopping along the way to lift large rocks and tree branches.

The main issue with weight training is the time taken for this activity in turn takes away from learning boxing skill. In the past it was incorporated into boxing training. No matter the physique no matter how strong no matter how cut this is BOXING. A high skill sport. Skill will generally trump big biceps or being able to lift great weights.

[Tom Cruise]

From what I’ve seen there wasn’t so much focus on weight in the old days.

You weighed what you weighed. Robinson didn’t go he’ll for leather trying to stack on weight to fight at LHW, he got to the weight he felt comfortable fighting at and that was that. Same with Billy Conn at HW, Mickey Walker, Armstrong and others as they climbed weights.

Rightly or wrongly that seems to be the way it was.

The focus was on technique, tactics rather than poundage

[OCPancho]

Consider this. Before the 1980's, only one man , Henry Armstrong, won 3 belts .
Fighting Harada and Sugar Ray Robinson failed in their bids to win 3 titles.
Benitez, Arguello, Duran, Fenech, Hearns and Leonard would go on to win 3 belts and then some for others.
But, they did weigh-ins on fight day then.

I think more could have won multiple titles earlier but matchmaking was tougher then .
And there were certainly A LOT LESS TITLES.
Today, titles are cheap .

[OCPancho]

From what I’ve seen there wasn’t so much focus on weight in the old days.

You weighed what you weighed. Robinson didn’t go he’ll for leather trying to stack on weight to fight at LHW, he got to the weight he felt comfortable fighting at and that was that. Same with Billy Conn at HW, Mickey Walker, Armstrong and others as they climbed weights.

Rightly or wrongly that seems to be the way it was.

The focus was on technique, tactics rather than poundage

Making weight was just as tough then .
Jake LaMotta and Bobby Chacon used to sit in the sauna to make weight.

Today, fkrrs can dehydrate till the day before the fight and rehydrate after the weigh in.