Catch weights good or bad?

wow. you are really knowledgeable. can't wait for more of these gems. this post earns a prestigious diamond belt, for sure.

 

Indeed. If you cant accept the weight then don't do the fight. For Williams/Martinez its a tad funny. Williams would probably weight under 157 anyway and Martinez would rather do so himself so why the need for a catch?
Sadly redundant and overkill.

 

Ever hear the expression you "lost the plot" wafer biscuit? No I suppose not.

And like I said troll. Any topic anytime. Historic or present day. Your post count means little to me. Your an idiot with high numbers. Still an idiot nonetheless.

 

... or not for any alphabet title at all (Jones-Trinidad, Wright-Hopkins, Pacquiao-Morales III, Mayweather-Marquez)

I find it more insulting when a catchweight fight is for a major title, and understand the point you're trying to make. But it's already been proven - especially with HBO willing to throw extra cash at fights that give the alphabets the finger - that these fights will still take place as long as it makes $$$$en$e.

 

HBO has too much fun usually saying the alphabet titles don't matter while cherry-picking the superfights to make their point. Which makes exactly the opposite point, imo, but whatever.

Your post does lead to another way to get catchweight fights off the table--convince HBO to pay fighters less or not at all unless they agree to fight at a regular weight class. I don't think it will work, but it might since the concept will be viewed positively by most of their viewers.

 

That will never, ever happen.

HBO by their own admission would rather see a sport where not just titles, but weight classes no longer exist.

If HBO can't curb its spending in a market where the network is virtually bidding against itself, what makes you think they'll do so for the fights that best suit their own agenda?

 

(1) I haven't noticed this being part of their agenda.

(2) I said I don't think it will work, but if they are willing to pay $2M for a fight (and let the fighters know), they could offer only $1.9M if fought at a catchweight. The reason it may have a chance is because fans would be behind any (even fake) HBO attempts at trying to get rid of catchweight fights and they could use that as the excuse to take away money from the fighters.

 

Exactly. Good post.

 

Well I can cite several dozen examples... but I guess the best one would be the interview they did with Ring (or was it KO) a while back, where they explicitly stated that they'd love to remove weight classes and just present the biggest fights.

The most recent example of their disregard for weights, however, would be their (and DiBella) pushing for Berto-Kotelnik about five minutes after Kotelnik gave Devon Alexander all that he could handle. Standard practice for them - B-side gives a strong performance, HBO wants him back but at least one division up against one of their house fighters

 

Pretty sure I didn't read that interview.

I don't think we're talking about the same things. I agree that HBO has always been a bit dense about weight mattering--the proposed Buddy McGirt vs Roy Jones or Pernell Whitaker vs Roy Jones fights come to mind.

I've just never viewed this as an overt attack on weight classes themselves, but more of an attack on common sense and an indirect consequence of trying to get mileage out of a fighter (like Kotelnik) or make a big fight between guys of different sizes.

HBO/Sanctioning Bodies have never cared about catchweights because it doesn't really affect them. I think both have at least one incentive to care, though--the majority of fans don't like catchweights. The other incentives to continue to ignore catchweights will likely outweigh either of them taking a stance on the issue. But,

I would much rather have fans spend their time bugging HBO and sanctioning bodies about catchweights than have to explain to some dimwit why bitching about catchweight fights (fair enough) and then transitioning from that to "crooks at the governing bodies are hoping for 34 divisions by 2020" doesn't make any sense.

 

I'm afraid that Manny has started a trend. People would say at the time of Cotto, "well its only 2 pounds" but that can be like 20 at this level. They knew that Cotto was probably having issues just making 147 and they also knew that Cotto would not turn down the hefty paycheque. Its odd that they never asked Clottey to weigh in under and he's probably the biggest welter in the division come fight night. I think its fair to say that historians will have an asterisk beside Mannys name on some of his conquests with notes attached. He's a great little fighter and definitely crowd pleasing but I think some of his fights namely Oscar, Cotto and soon to be added Margarito will carry some negative down the road. Oscar obviously not for a catch weight but because the guy had not made 147 in close to 8 years and then weighed in at 145 and only gained 2 pounds by fight time. He was a stiff.