Boxing Only Needs 7 Weight Divisions…Not 17!!!

[Jordan Diddy Buk]

http://www.boxingnews24.com/2011/07/boxing-only-needs-7-weight-divisions-not-17/

By David Kassell: When people argue that boxing is a dying sport I always find about 100 different reasons to prove them wrong. A lot of people have gotten on the MMA bandwagon and no disrespect to Mixed Martial Arts (I am a fan of the sport as well), but the fact is that boxing still generates more revenue and draws better television audiences than MMA.


With that being said however, there is one thing I hear people say that I have no argument for (other than it’s just another way for the sanctioning bodies to earn more money). Boxing has too many weight classes. Mixed Martial Arts only has 9 nine weight divisions while boxing currently has 17. Boxing weight classes currently read as follows…
Heavyweight…(201 lbs & up)
Cruiserweight…(200 lbs)
Light-Heavyweight…(175 lbs)
Super-Middleweight…(168 lbs)
Middleweight…(160 lbs)
Junior-Middleweight…(154 lbs)
Welterweight…(147 lbs)
Junior-Welterweight…(140 lbs)
Lightweight…(135 lbs)
Super-Feathertweight…(130 lbs)
Featherweight…(126 lbs)
Super-Bantamweight…(122 lbs)
Bantamweight…(118 lbs)
Super-Flyweight…(115 lbs)
Flyweight…(112 lbs)
Light-Flyweight…(108 lbs)
Minimumweight…(105 lbs)

Count them yourselves…17 weight classes. I don’t so much have a problem with the Heavyweight and Cruiserweight divisions, but once we start getting into each weight class only separated by 7 pounds or less we have a problem.

Part of the reason fans don’t see the best fighters matched up against one another is fighters try to stick to these ridiculous weight restrictions and are unwilling to move up.

The solution is simple and will eliminate needless excuses about fighters moving up in weight or having to drain themselves to make weight. Imagine boxing where every fighter comes into the ring in great shape and doesn’t have to starve themselves making them weak come the championship rounds. The following realignment of weight divisions would help bring boxing back stronger than ever…

Heavyweight (201 lbs & up)
Potential match-ups: Klitschko vs Klitschko (of course this will never happen), Adamek vs Haye

Light-Heavyweight (176-200 lbs)
Potential match-ups: Bernard Hopkins vs Steve Cunningham, Tavoris Cloud vs Marco Huck, Danny Green vs Jean Pascal

Middleweight (161-175 lbs)
Potential match-ups: Sergio Martinez vs Andre Ward, Bernard Hopkins vs Lucian Bute, Carl Froch vs Andy Lee

Welterweight (148-160 lbs)
Potential match-ups: Floyd Mayweather vs Sergio Martinez, Victor Ortiz vs Saul Alvarez, Manny Pacquiao vs Alfredo Angulo

Lightweight (136-147 lbs)
Potential match-ups: Mayweather vs Pacquiao, Marcos Maidana vs Brandon Rios, Juan Manuel Marquez vs Timothy Bradley, Amir Khan vs Robert Guerrero

Bantamweight (123-135 lbs)
Potential match-ups: Yuriorkis Gamboa vs Adrian Broner, Chris John vs Daniel Ponce de Leon, Brandon Rios vs Juan Manuel Lopez

Flyweight (122 & down)
Potential match-ups: Nonito Donaire vs Pongsaklek Wonjongkam, Joseph Agbeko vs Giovani Segura

So what do you all think? Please leave your comments and follow my blog at http://boxingobservers.blogspot.com/

 

[P03t]

agreed too many boxers fighting out of their weight class....some bigger fighters cut alot of weight just to dominate smaller divisions...

6-7 divisions would be great 1-2 sanctioning bodies would also be great....I just read they are thinking about adding a new division

greed at its finest....

 

[bunn]

Marcos Maidana vs Brandon Rios

This would be a Gatti vs Ward Trilogy.

 

[S A T A N]

All of the weight classes are a gift to those who wouldn't other wise be champions and would never have access to the money generated by "title" fights. Never hate on ANY man gettin' his money and providing for his family. As much as I love to see knock out's, I hate to see the effects of boxers that have been mismatched. The addition of the "jr" and "super" weight classes help keep the playing field level. A "potential" 4 to 7 pound difference at weigh in is OK. But, per your chart, a potential 12 lb. acceptable weight disparity....in the same division Welterweight (148-160 lbs)?!?!?! Makes no sense. I point out the welterweight division because for years, the pound for pound king comes from the weight range you listed. You gotta ask yourself, would Terry Norris and Felix Trinidad have been pound for pound guys without the 154 lb division?

Better yet, would we have seen this were it not for the 140 lb division?

It's gift for the promoters who can have more championship or "meaningful" fights to fill out under cards. Also for the sanctioning bodies who can now profit more by attaching their sanctioning fees to every fight they are associated with.

Ultimately, we all know it's about the money. But, I think we would see a lot more fighters with serious health problems(not that there aren't punchy fighters now) if it weren't for the fact that they can fight someone their own size. The Heavyweight division is the exception. Frazier and Tyson were great but, images of Foreman knockin' the shit out of Joe....RELENTLESSLY and Lennox damn near poundin' the life out of (an exposed and past his prime) Iron Mike remind you that these were fighters getting beat by people who were in a different weight class. And it SHOWED!!! That being said, I would never advocate for a Super Heavyweight division.

 

[MrBee]

I agree and will do you one better....3 classes...

Lil niggas...
Regular niggas...
Big niggas....

 

[deon8582]

I agree!!! But I think there should be not as much space in betweeen the weight restrictions... For example if you are a welter weight (147 lb) that should be the limit, and anyone who cant make 147 should fight at middleweight (160) .. I also believe that the heavy weight division should be broken into 2 divisions .... heavyweight and super heavyweight.... These niggas fightin today are huge.... there is no way that a fighter the size of a young Evander Holyfield (6'2 / 209 lbs) could ever compete consistently with guys like the Klitchkos (excuse my spelling) those dudes are to big we are talking about being taller than 6'5 and weighing more than 240.. Not fair

 

[will_right]

I agree!!! But I think there should be not as much space in betweeen the weight restrictions... For example if you are a welter weight (147 lb) that should be the limit, and anyone who cant make 147 should fight at middleweight (160) .. I also believe that the heavy weight division should be broken into 2 divisions .... heavyweight and super heavyweight.... These niggas fightin today are huge.... there is no way that a fighter the size of a young Evander Holyfield (6'2 / 209 lbs) could ever compete consistently with guys like the Klitchkos (excuse my spelling) those dudes are to big we are talking about being taller than 6'5 and weighing more than 240.. Not fair

C/S the shit is mad insane..those dudes are OVER 240 and at 6'6 and 6'8? C'mon there should mos DEF be a SUPER heavyweight division.

 

[Jordan Diddy Buk]

I agree!!! But I think there should be not as much space in betweeen the weight restrictions... For example if you are a welter weight (147 lb) that should be the limit, and anyone who cant make 147 should fight at middleweight (160) .. I also believe that the heavy weight division should be broken into 2 divisions .... heavyweight and super heavyweight.... These niggas fightin today are huge.... there is no way that a fighter the size of a young Evander Holyfield (6'2 / 209 lbs) could ever compete consistently with guys like the Klitchkos (excuse my spelling) those dudes are to big we are talking about being taller than 6'5 and weighing more than 240.. Not fair

true. but if you had 7 weight classes and the fighters were weighed on fight day it would be better. fighter could come in fights without having to cut weight. guys at the lower end would fight in a lower weight class. that would not be many. because the point would be for you to go into the ring at your best weight.

fights like what happens now in heavyweight is a joke. and fights where they re-hydrate up to 15 pounds is lame. if you fight at t title weight. you should be heavier in the ring, period.

 

[Firefox]

Definitely agreed. Too many damn divisions and fools indirectly "ducking" by staying in and dominating weak ass divisions.