Thread: Would you favor "same day" weigh-ins?

Tonight's fight between Sergio and Junior got me thinking.....

Is it within the spirit of the sport to have such a size difference between fighters? Was it just me? Or did Junior look twice the size and weight of Martinez in the ring? Martinez boxed circles around Junior. Made him look like an amateur.... beat the shit out of him..... won every round by a wide margin. And yet (with some credit to Junior's chin), Martinez couldn't get him outta there. A fighter the same size as Martinez, and Junior's sheer ineptitude, would've been blown out in 4-5 rounds. That Junior finally caught Martinez in the last round and put some drama into the fight, isn't due to any great skill of Junior's. It's the law of averages. Eventually, you're bound to get caught with a good punch during a 12-round prize fight. And yet.... Martinez didn't turn and run. He stayed and traded with the much bigger Junior, risking a certain victory to another stray shot from Junior.

One question: Did it strike anyone else as strange to see the contrast between Junior's weigh-in pictures from yesterday, and his size tonight? They looked like two different fighters. The weigh-in Junior looked weird, with his stomach sucked in. He looked smaller than Martinez. All of a sudden, tonight..... he's a cruiserweight again. Just like for the Andy Lee fight.

Is this within the spirit of boxing? What is the purpose of weight divisions, if one of the fighters is going to gain over 20 pounds from one day to the next? Why can't we have "same day" weigh-ins?

If you're a professional boxer, and have the discipline to work your way down to make weight for the current weigh-in..... you should have the same discipline to make weight for a "same day" weigh-in. And if you have to seriously dehydrate to make the weight, and this weakens you for the fight...... that's your own damn problem..... and obviously you didn't do it right. Making weight shouldn't be a matter of dehydrating yourself to the point of making yourself starved and sick. It should be a gradual, controlled, studied process to get you to the desired weight. There's no reason why there should be such a size difference in the ring, unless of course you're a heavyweight, which is of course an open-ended division.

It makes me favor "same day" weigh-ins, although like with anything else, it would take some getting used to..... and the kinks would have to be worked out. How does everybody else feel?

I'm sorry, but I'm not ready to give the gigantor Junior too much credit for having made the fight exciting at the end. The gap between him and Martinez as fighters is like from here to the moon. I'm glad someone finally got rid of his fake, manufactured "0".

Yeah I'm in favor of same day weigh ins, it'd be similar to what we do in the amateurs to make for fairer fights. Seeing the size difference in Martinez and Chavez was very compelling to how much worse the fight should of been for Jr.

I would, but you can forget it! Supposedly, the reason they stopped the same day weight-in, was to protect the fighters who were so drained making weight it was dangerous for them to fight. I think the reason Chavez looked so much bigger is the fact that he is so much bigger, plus Chavez is one of those individuals who can rehydrate around 20 pounds in 24 hours. Martinez could fight at 154 but you'll never see Chavez at that weight again, he's too big.

Originally Posted by beenKOed

I would, but you can forget it! Supposedly, the reason they stopped the same day weight-in, was to protect the fighters who were so drained making weight it was dangerous for them to fight. I think the reason Chavez looked so much bigger is the fact that he is so much bigger, plus Chavez is one of those individuals who can rehydrate around 20 pounds in 24 hours. Martinez could fight at 154 but you'll never see Chavez at that weight again, he's too big.

If we had same day weigh ins, Martinez would be fighting at 160 against many of the current 154 pound division. Chavez Jr. would be struggling mightily at 168 with same day weigh ins.

And it isn't 24 hours. The weigh ins are closer to 28 hours from fight time for the main event fights. The time Chavez Jr. got onto the scale was 6:45 pm eastern. Fight doesn't start until 11:15 pm eastern the next night.

I definitely would be in favor of same day weigh-ins and have been for many years now. I have heard the argument that it is to protect the fighters, but does anyone realize how unhealthy and dangerous it is to cut weight like they do to make a class that they are too big for? Plus I find it hard to believe that a fighter or his management team would let their fighter get into the ring looking as weight drained as they do the day before the fight. They would think twice about putting them in weight classes they have no business in, and then we get to see fights that don't look like one guy is three weight classes higher than the other.

i'm still amazed at how fighters can perform at all the way they look at the weigh ins. Erik Morales at 122 and 126 still comes to mind. He looked like death.

Dunno if it might actually change the sport as we know it. Habits, regiments and training are so entrenched now and I think alot of guys have come to rely on adding weight. It might cause chaos with the networks and cancellations, more wheeling and dealing just to get a show on.

I wrote a paper partly on this subject a few years ago.
To put it simply the advent of weigh-ins the day before seems to coincide with the biggest post-war reduction in ring-deaths worldwide.
Conversely, the reduction from 15 to 12 rounds has been shown to have had a negligible effect.

Gatti was another one that used to blow up massively. Same conversation was had when he fought Gamache
for those that remember

thing is if Chavez had won in the last round there would have been far more fuss made about this.

Are the US fighers supposed to be monitored in terms of losing weight steadily coming in to a fight?

Why change something that has been in place since forever. EVERYONE is allowed to do the same. If a fighter can make weight the day before the fight what's it to you how many pounds they gain the next day? ... If anything it worked in Martinez favor because he was much faster than his heavy opponent.. But of course this is another bullshit ANTI Chavez and ANTI Mexican views from you. Many fighters in history have done this but all of a sudden you have a problem with it... lol hilarious.

It's an equal playing field. They all have the ability to drain and re hydrate. Not having enough time to hydrate properly will without a doubt create a dangerous precedent. People will always try to use edges. Making those allowable edges more dangerous in a sport where you are already risking your life just climbing through the ropes would be foolhardy.

Originally Posted by beenKOed

I would, but you can forget it! Supposedly, the reason they stopped the same day weight-in, was to protect the fighters who were so drained making weight it was dangerous for them to fight. I think the reason Chavez looked so much bigger is the fact that he is so much bigger, plus Chavez is one of those individuals who can rehydrate around 20 pounds in 24 hours. Martinez could fight at 154 but you'll never see Chavez at that weight again, he's too big.

Yeah that was the reason they put out there but its ridiculously flawed. If anything threatens the safety of fighters its allowing natural middles to fight at welter and at times against natural welters and you can trace weight disparity in pretty much all the divisions. What the real motive was and is to support the reality of 17 division and all the extra sanctioning fees. In the end its clear that they don't give a shit about a boxers safety. If they did they would have done something after Gatti/Gamache and they would have started a pension plan for boxers years ago.

I'll never forget what Morales used to look like when he was at 122 at the weigh ins. Like grim death and a pound away from skeletor. Come fight night he was a full fledged lightweight. In the end you are right that they will never go for it collectively. Right now only the Ibf and Wbc have a same day rule that is not really a same day rule at all. The Ibf is perhaps the best as they only allow a 10 pound gain the day of the fight and even then they are done with enough time left for continued weight gain prior to the bout.

Originally Posted by Youngblood

It's an equal playing field. They all have the ability to drain and re hydrate. Not having enough time to hydrate properly will without a doubt create a dangerous precedent. People will always try to use edges. Making those allowable edges more dangerous in a sport where you are already risking your life just climbing through the ropes would be foolhardy.

Absolutely.
In regards to same day weigh-ins people have said that if a fighter cannot rehydrate in time and therefore is fucked for the fight it is their own stupid fault.
I say that as the risk associated with this 'stupidity' is an increased likelyhood of death/serious injury it is unacceptable.
Fighters will try to push the boundaries even knowing the risks. Therefore there must be systems in place that protect them from themselves (and those around them more concerned with matters other than the fighter's safety).

Originally Posted by outspoken

Why change something that has been in place since forever. EVERYONE is allowed to do the same. If a fighter can make weight the day before the fight what's it to you how many pounds they gain the next day? ... If anything it worked in Martinez favor because he was much faster than his heavy opponent.. But of course this is another bullshit ANTI Chavez and ANTI Mexican views from you. Many fighters in history have done this but all of a sudden you have a problem with it... lol hilarious.

Just a note - Same day weigh-ins were not removed until the 1980s.

If we bring in same day weigh ins..get rid of catchweights!