Borges on Boxing: No Limits To Weight Limits in Boxing

[ProBox1]

Apparently weight limits in Pop Warner Football are taken more seriously than they are in the most dangerous sport on earth, professional prize fighting.

When a kid is overweight in Pop Warner they tell him to take a seat until he loses a few pounds. In prize fighting they tell him to take a lunch break and if he can't slim down we'll see you at ringside. What other conclusion can one arrive at after the debacle the second Diego Corrales-Jose Luis Castillo fight degenerated into recently in Las Vegas, a town where boxing is supposedly administered by the strictest commission in the sport? If that's the case, no wonder the game is riddled with self-inflicted wounds.

Diego Corrales was supposed to be defending the lightweight title against former champion Jose Luis Castillo in hopes of a replay of their first stirring confrontation, which was one of the best fights of the year and a glorious moment for boxing. Only problem was this time Castillo came in as a welterweight. And an overweight welterweight at that. [details]

[TheBrownBomber22]

Nice article and I agree with you, something needs to be done.

[Lol999]

Why not make the weigh in say 4 hours before the fight? That would make naturally much heavier fighters either move to a new weight class or risk being severely weakened and therefore at a disadvantage?

Lol

[TheBrownBomber22]

Yeah but if naturally big fighters make the weight they would have to fight seriously dehyrated and weak come fight time (4 hours later) which will see a lot of serious injuries and increase the likely hood of deaths. I agree with what martin said if the fighter doesn't make weight then he should lose 50% of his purse.

[Martin (Top Knowledge)]

Castillo was fined $120,000 (10%) of his his purse for failing to make the weight. (I'm sure he checked the contract before the weigh-in and knew what the punishemnt would be).

If his contract had said he'd be fined 75% of his purse if he failed to make the weight, I'd bet my mortgage we wouldn't be having this discussion now because Castillo would have made the weight!

That's the solution to the problem... (Larger fines for failing to make weight). You can say that fights will be called off if 75% is the knew figure and a fighter fails to make weight, and that may happen, but that fighter's team won't get paid, so it's not in their interest for their fighter to not make weight.

[cedarjoe]

no limits to weight limits in boxing

it's obivious you don't know what you are talking about with the kind of statements you are making. Castillo was NOT heavier then Corales, Corales was the bigger and heavier guy. What about Corale's height. If Corales can't make the weight he shouldn't be fighting at that weight. At the beginning of the fight Corales was the taller, heavier fighter. Morales was the taller and heavier fighter between he and Barrera and already had several fights at that weight, yet Barrera never the less beat Morales.
Why are you crying about a couple of pounds with Castillo when heaveyweights can come in 20,30,40 lbs or more and almost a foot taller and thats OK, thats fair? Thats what you should be crying about.

[Mr. David]

Why are you crying about a couple of pounds with Castillo when heaveyweights can come in 20,30,40 lbs or more and almost a foot taller and thats OK, thats fair? Thats what you should be crying about.

The difference, both with heavyweights and concerning Corrales-Castillo II, has to do with the draining of a fighter to make weight when his opponent is not participating in a similar level of gut-wrenching torture.

Heavyweights still work to get into shape, but unless they let themselves get absolutely out of shape, they are not required to drain to a certain level, thus sapping strength. As such, the weight differentials, although still a factor, don't play as much into the endurance and recuperative abilities.

By the way, a big welcome to Ron Borges, the newest BoxingScene.com contributor.