Should we return to same day weigh ins?

The recent thread about Broner weighing in over the limit got me thinking about fighters taking advantage of the current system. Broner, Rios and Chavez Jr seem to be the biggest examples. Have any of them actually beaten a man in their own weight class? If their best wins come over men who are actually a lot smaller then shouldn't that detract from what they've achieved?

Against Rubio, for example, Chavez was basically doing the same thing as his opponent with the only thing making him win being his added weight. Rubio fought just as well, however he was fighting someone in a different weight class.

Rios is another who wins fights on strength and toughness, but a welter should be stronger and tougher than the lightweights he's fighting.

Broner at least has hit and don't be hit skill to go with it, but he gets plenty of credit for his power. A guy his size SHOULD be knocking over super featherweights same as a middleweight should be winning by KO if he's fighting welters.

So, is it time to return to the old days so weight classes get their meaning back? It's not like there's not enough of them.

Poll included in tribute to the great Waingro. Friend, mentor, ranker of Joe Calzaghe as one of the greatest middleweights of all times. RIP

I think that big name fighters who struggle to make weight will just have even more incentive not to bother if it is same day and they can get away with it. Also I see no problem with the likes of Rios, Broner and Chavez weighing in heavy on fight night and having a size advantage as long as they make weight legally. It is just something that some guys can do and some can't, a natural advantage like a solid chin, fast hands or a big punch.

There's a certain logic to the idea that if a fight is made at a particular weight then that's what the participants should weigh, but fighters were and still do boil down dangerously- Eubank for Watson 1 for example, and the authorities rightly wanted to try and do something to make it less risky and so introduced a time lag to allow rehydration. A better, though not in reality practical solution would to be to monitor weight in the weeks leading up to a fight and try to weed out those that are obviously struggling, and prevent drastic last minute drying out. Ultimately though it's down to the figther and his camp not to take risks with their health. So I would vote yes to having same day weigh ins like you do as an amateur.

It is extremely dangerous, so the simple answer is no.

However, it should be run like the Olympics whereby boxers weigh-in everyday, to ensure they are fighting in the correct weight catergory, and not dehydrating too much.

Pro's could weigh-in everyday for a four week period, including the day of the fight, for the same reasons. The pro would have to be within a certain percentage of their fighting mass and as the fight gets closer this percentage tolerance would get tighter (and fines much higher).
It would be safer. and boxers would be fighting closer to their natural weights.

However, frequent weigh-in's would be a logistical nightmare and cost alot of money (and funded by whom?).....also think Chavez Jnr might struggle!

if you can't weigh, say, 147 healthily on the night then why shouldn't you be campaigning at, say, 160? Surely everyone that can't make their weight just moves up a division or two.

horizontalhero wrote:There's a certain logic to the idea that if a fight is made at a particular weight then that's what the participants should weigh, but fighters were and still do boil down dangerously- Eubank for Watson 1 for example, and the authorities rightly wanted to try and do something to make it less risky and so introduced a time lag to allow rehydration. A better, though not in reality practical solution would to be to monitor weight in the weeks leading up to a fight and try to weed out those that are obviously struggling, and prevent drastic last minute drying out. Ultimately though it's down to the figther and his camp not to take risks with their health. So I would vote yes to having same day weigh ins like you do as an amateur.

Sorry, i didn't read this when I wrote my two pence worth.

It kind of annoys me because there are enough weight classes now that not making weight shouldnt really be an issue.

However I think the risk of same day weigh ins is still to great because inneviteably there will be fighters trying to cut down now matter what.

I think a system of weighing in the day before but only being allowed to put on a limited weight after might reduce the incentive for guys to really boil down if they know they cant pile it all back on. Chavez Jr putting on 25lbs in between weigh in and fights for example is ridiculous. If he was only allowed to put on an extra ten he might jump to SMW.

I think there should be a limit to how much you can put back on. If for instance Chavez was a big puncher then he could kill someone. I strongly believe he is on diuretics.

The thing about weighing in on the same day and being allowed to put on a certain amount of weight is that it would be abused in the same way as the current system is abused. It would take huge balls to cancel a fight, on the night it was to go ahead, because someone gained too much weight. All that would likely happen is that the boxer would be fined and the fight would go ahead with one guy having a weight advantage.

Wouldn't that be the same as it is now with regular weigh ins? Just fine them and strip their title.

I think the idea of limiting how much they can pack back on would be best. As we've seen with Broner they've supposedly called that one off at the 11th hour because he couldn't make 140. Really now, what business does someone who can't make the light welterweight limit have fighting at super featherweight?

Seven each so far on the votes by the way.

I hope your watching Waingro lol

No. To dangerous. Punishment for the likes of broner not bothering should be severe and serve as a deterrent. If HBO drop him for ruining their card, then that would be a massive deterrent, also.

John Bloody Wayne wrote:Wouldn't that be the same as it is now with regular weigh ins? Just fine them and strip their title.

I think the idea of limiting how much they can pack back on would be best. As we've seen with Broner they've supposedly called that one off at the 11th hour because he couldn't make 140. Really now, what business does someone who can't make the light welterweight limit have fighting at super featherweight?

Similar yes, but what I'm proposing is a little more stringent. Daily weigh-ins with much tighter tolerences and fines which get progressively and substantially higher for each time the weigh-in is not met.

The weights tolerances and fines would be like so:

At the 4 week mark, prior to the fight, they'd be within 7% of the weight limit. Each daily trip to the scales that they mess up they'd be fined 2% (so potentially a 14% loss of the original purse over the course of the week... the new figure is now calcualted and carried over to the next week of daily weigh-in's).

At the 3 week mark they'd be within 5% of the weight limit. Each daily trip to the scales that they mess up they'd be fined 5% of the remaining purse (potentially they could lose 35% of the remainder, the new total is carried over).

At the 2 week mark they'd be within 2% of the weight limit. Each daily trip to the scales that they mess up they'd be fined 10% of the remaining purse (potentially they could lose over 70% of the remainder).

For example, using the figures above for a 140lb fighter with a £1million purse then:

Week 4, the boxer must be within 7% of 140lb (<150lb), fails every weigh-in purse now £930000
Week 3, the boxer must be within 5% of 140lb(<147lb), fails every weigh-in purse would be £604500
Week 2, the boxer must be within 2% of 140lb (<143lb), fails every weigh-in purse would be £181350


Obviously if they are struggling to meet 150lb on day 7 of week 4 they are going to struggle to make 147 on day 1 of week 3. However, I think these are substantial monetary punishments and "safe weight perecentages" to lose over the course of a week. Using the methods described above allows an alternative fight to go ahead and the replacement boxer would get at least two weeks notice.

In principle, it is a good idea to limit the amount of weight gain in the time between the weigh in and the fight, but I think cancelling the fight on the day of the bout is a punishing the punters more than the boxers (especially the punters that have arrived in fight city).

Just ideas anyway...

Actually those weight percentages I gave might not work with 199lb boxers, forget it.