A paradox about p4p rankings

[SRR]

Yes, I agree that when a fighter goes up and beats one guy but not the top guys it seems a bit strange that their p4p ranking goes up and stays there. However, I think you're looking at it wrong. Think of it like this: when a guy goes up in weight he is pitting himself against guys who are naturally bigger and stronger than he. Therefore, his p4p rankings goes up because he has proven that he is able to cope with the difference in weight despite being at an inherent disadvantage. This ability to cope with the weight difference can only be explained by the fact that that fighter's skills are so superior to the other fighter that the weight difference becomes immaterial. It's like when an athlete in another sport is dominant in more than one category or event. It's why Arsenal, for example [if you're a football fan] are not currently considered as being up there with the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool - because both of these teams have won the Champions League multiple times, and Arsenal have yet to win it once. It's about stepping out of your comfort zone and yet still prevailing, though the odds might be against you. That's my perspective on it, anyway.

[CGM]

Good points. If you look at it that way, it makes sense.

However, it sounds like you think it is not unreasonable for a boxer to be above another boxer in the same division in p4p rankings, but not in divisional rankings. Not sure I can agree with that. Things just get too messy.

I think the whole concept of the "natural weight" of a fighter is also very ethereal (debatable), you start taking that into account and rankings become even more subjective.

[SRR]

Good points. If you look at it that way, it makes sense.

However, it sounds like you think it is not unreasonable for a boxer to be above another boxer in the same division in p4p rankings, but not in divisional rankings. Not sure I can agree with that. Things just get too messy.

I think the whole concept of the "natural weight" of a fighter is also very ethereal (debatable), you start taking that into account and rankings become even more subjective.

It is, as you said, a tad paradoxical. It's really just about how a fighter copes when he's physically 'out of his depth'. It's kind of like putting a young kid in a swimming pool and seeing how deep they can go. It might be unreasonable to expect them to go right to the end of the pool, but for an older kid it's more than reasonable - in fact, it's expected. However, you might say the younger kid is a better swimmer because they can go deeper than they are expected to. Now, these kids might compete against each other, but the older kid would probably win due to the physical advantage [extra height/muscle]. Yet it is still possible to view the younger kid as the better swimmer, given the circumstances.

As for natural weight, that is probably an even more contentious subject than p4p rankings. Essentially, if a fighter is 'comfortable' at a certain weight, i.e. they find it easy to make that weight, then I would say that is probably their 'natural weight'. But, tbh it's so subjective and open to debate that one might even argue such a thing does not exist as natural weight.