Thread: Catchweight for the heavyweight title?

I was watching the Conn-Lewis Fight from 1941, and it was contracted that Lewis had to come in under 200lbs and his title was on the line. Just thought is was interesting seeing as how many have complained about Roach demanding catch weights for manny.

I still think its bullshit when you're challenging a guy for his belt that he have to come in according to a weight that makes the challenger more comfortable.

I'm pretty sure that isn't true. Love to see the source though!

I've read in a couple of different places that the Mike Jacobs decided the REAL weights, 204.5 and 169, just had too big a disparity for a smart boxing crowd like NYC's to be credible. The fight was being held outdoors at the Polo Grounds so they wanted to sell every seat they could in a place that could hold 60,000 for a fight. So he dropped Louis five and raised Conn five to narrow the gap to 25 pounds.

Louis himself claimed to earn the public's approval, he ketpr training right up to the fight so he'd come in under 200.

I suspect one of those things we'll never get to the bottom of.

Originally Posted by marbleheadmaui

I'm pretty sure that isn't true. Love to see the source though!

I've read in a couple of different places that the Mike Jacobs decided the REAL weights, 204.5 and 169, just had too big a disparity for a smart boxing crowd like NYC's to be credible. The fight was being held outdoors at the Polo Grounds so they wanted to sell every seat they could in a place that could hold 60,000 for a fight. So he dropped Louis five and raised Conn five to narrow the gap to 25 pounds.

Louis himself claimed to earn the public's approval, he ketpr training right up to the fight so he'd come in under 200.

I suspect one of those things we'll never get to the bottom of.

Well I was just listening to the broadcast and the commentator said Lewis was contracted to come in under 200, which he did, also the lightest of his career.

But I just read in Joe Louis' book where he said he purposely lost weight to come in under 200 pounds so that no one could say he beat up on a small man.

Originally Posted by JonesJrMayweather

Originally Posted by marbleheadmaui

I'm pretty sure that isn't true. Love to see the source though!

I've read in a couple of different places that the Mike Jacobs decided the REAL weights, 204.5 and 169, just had too big a disparity for a smart boxing crowd like NYC's to be credible. The fight was being held outdoors at the Polo Grounds so they wanted to sell every seat they could in a place that could hold 60,000 for a fight. So he dropped Louis five and raised Conn five to narrow the gap to 25 pounds.

Louis himself claimed to earn the public's approval, he ketpr training right up to the fight so he'd come in under 200.

I suspect one of those things we'll never get to the bottom of.

Well I was just listening to the broadcast and the commentator said Lewis was contracted to come in under 200, which he did, also the lightest of his career.

Huh. I guess I've never seen that particular video. Got a link? I'd love to know just who is saying that about the contract.

To be fair, Louis began in the pros as a 185 pounder and had fought under 200 maybe 20 times.

Originally Posted by JonesJrMayweather

But I just read in Joe Louis' book where he said he purposely lost weight to come in under 200 pounds so that no one could say he beat up on a small man.

Yup. Of course regardless of the exact agreement, Conn gave up a lot of weight, looked good, but Joe kept coming, Conn made a strategic mistake and Bad Joe came down on him like the Wrath of God.

It's really funny. If you were fighting one of today's heavies the LAST thing you want is incentive for one of those guys to come in fit, right? I mean you'd want an assurance Arreola (for example) would come in over 250!

Originally Posted by marbleheadmaui

Originally Posted by JonesJrMayweather

Originally Posted by marbleheadmaui

I'm pretty sure that isn't true. Love to see the source though!

I've read in a couple of different places that the Mike Jacobs decided the REAL weights, 204.5 and 169, just had too big a disparity for a smart boxing crowd like NYC's to be credible. The fight was being held outdoors at the Polo Grounds so they wanted to sell every seat they could in a place that could hold 60,000 for a fight. So he dropped Louis five and raised Conn five to narrow the gap to 25 pounds.

Louis himself claimed to earn the public's approval, he ketpr training right up to the fight so he'd come in under 200.

I suspect one of those things we'll never get to the bottom of.

Well I was just listening to the broadcast and the commentator said Lewis was contracted to come in under 200, which he did, also the lightest of his career.

Huh. I guess I've never seen that particular video. Got a link? I'd love to know just who is saying that about the contract.

To be fair, Louis began in the pros as a 185 pounder and had fought under 200 maybe 20 times.

MEGAUPLOAD - The leading online storage and file delivery service

There ya go!!!

Originally Posted by JonesJrMayweather

Originally Posted by marbleheadmaui

Originally Posted by JonesJrMayweather

Originally Posted by marbleheadmaui

I'm pretty sure that isn't true. Love to see the source though!

I've read in a couple of different places that the Mike Jacobs decided the REAL weights, 204.5 and 169, just had too big a disparity for a smart boxing crowd like NYC's to be credible. The fight was being held outdoors at the Polo Grounds so they wanted to sell every seat they could in a place that could hold 60,000 for a fight. So he dropped Louis five and raised Conn five to narrow the gap to 25 pounds.

Louis himself claimed to earn the public's approval, he ketpr training right up to the fight so he'd come in under 200.

I suspect one of those things we'll never get to the bottom of.

Well I was just listening to the broadcast and the commentator said Lewis was contracted to come in under 200, which he did, also the lightest of his career.

Huh. I guess I've never seen that particular video. Got a link? I'd love to know just who is saying that about the contract.

To be fair, Louis began in the pros as a 185 pounder and had fought under 200 maybe 20 times.

MEGAUPLOAD - The leading online storage and file delivery service

There ya go!!!

See that's very interesting. Obviously a Brit commentator, but it has the sound and feel of commentary done at the time of the fight or shortly thereafter. I wonder if this isn't a copy sold by Jacobs for Euro-consumption. That would make it seem like the guy commenting was an insider. The "lowest of his career" is an obvious error though.

On balnace that seems credible enough to make me want to do some digging!

Thanks!

No problem.

Need some context here. Its listed at places like Boxrec that Louis came in at 199.5 because of some oral agreement in the first Conn fight but in actual fact Louis came in at 204 and Conn at 169. Sure they listed it as 174.5 vs 199 but it never happened that way.

I read that Joe was very superstitious and always aimed to come under 200lb at his peak. When he was older he could not do it but I am sure at 206ish he battered a 6 ft 6inch heavyweight (Buddy Baer?) and people wondered what he would have done if he stayed over 200lb at his peak!

Weight loss at heavyweight can be detrimental look what happened to Roy Jones after winning the heavyweight championship and then going back to light heavyweight.