Quote Originally Posted by killersheep View Post
Quote Originally Posted by Bilbo View Post
Oh and as for abiding by the current rules of a weight class what rules has Manny broken.

As I understand it the rules for fighting for the welterweight title are 'You cannot exceed the maximum weight limit of 147 lbs'.

Where does it say 'You cannot weigh in at 145lbs?'
As far as the titles go you are absolutely correct, and as far as the sanctioning bodies go, as long as they profit they will let go whatever happens, catchweights and whatever else keeps them profitable. But what are the weightclasses there for? Do you consider Manny to be a Light middleweight fighter? Why should a light middleweight fighter take away the advantage he enjoys himself to accommadate his move, the only real answer of course is money. There are established weight classes intact to keep fighters up against fighters that are relatively close to their own weight, if someone chooses give up that advantage by moving up in weight that is there perogative, but it is unfair to amend the rules as they apply to the other fighter.

As I said before I am all for same day weigh-ins, but they will never happen because of money.

I am also strongly against catchweights, especially in regards to title fights, but they will never go away because of money.

I believe I understand what you are saying, I just believe that weight classes (and there are too many anyway) should be respected and if someone moves up that is their choice to take on the disadvantage of the nature of that weight class, even if it means being outweighed by 20 lbs on the night of the fight. It's my personal take that as far as private contracts go, there should only be the option to choose a weight class to contract in, not to create a weight class.

From what I understand in your view all weights fall within a weight class and are therefore valid, and that any fighter that is moving up in weight should make the fighter naturally in that weight class to come down to accommadate that lighter fighter so it is closer in weight and therefore a more level playing field. Is that correct?
In answer to the part bolded. No not at all. I don't consider him a fighter of any weight, I just consider him an exceptional fighter.

For me weight doesn't define a fighter their ability and skills do.

Weight divisions were brought in because otherwise boxing would be like basketball, you would have to be 200 + pounds and over 6 ft tall to be able to compete at the highest level.

They exist to allow smaller fighters to make a name for themselves against fighters of the same size as them. But the weight divisions are not ideal. I mean in a perfect world, size would have no bearing on a fight and everybody would fight everybody. They only exist to solve the problem, namely that people are different sizes. There is no reason for weight classes to exist beyond that, they have no intrinsic value above and beyond that specific purpose.

You wouldn't introduce weight classes into soccer or tennis, because they are not necessary in such sports. What I am trying to demonstrate, is that weight classes exist only to serve boxing and organise fighters into broad size groups, rather than boxers existing to populate and bring honour to the weight categories. Does that make sense?

So, in my opinon, when a fighter dominates his own weight class, or natural weight classes, as Manny has done, and then wants to take bigger risks and fight fighters outside of his weight class, he is to a certain extent transcending the weight division limitations.

Manny has dominated the flyweight-super featherweight divisions. Already in those weight classes alone, he was a Hall of Fame worthy competitor and a legend of the lower weights.

Now he's gone beyond that. He's truly a global phenomenon and isdoing what nobody else in the modern era has ever done in moving up and fighting massively bigger guys than himself, and dominating them.

I honestly don't give a shit about what weight class he fights in. All I want is for him to fight the biggest fights against the best oppositon. Provided they are not weight drained and unable to perform (and there is zero evidence to suggest either Cotto or Margarito was weight drained) then I am happy for them to fight, because to me boxing is about the fights, and the fighters themselves, and not some commitment to arbitary weight class limits.