How Can Weight Divisions 3ibs Apart be Justified?

This has been done before i'm sure but the general consensus appears to be that there are too many weight divisions. This is a subject i'm particularly annoyed about as to me, it's ridiculous!

I think 7ibs is the absolute minimum there can be between a weight class but how can there be 17ibs separating SIX divisions re: straw to super bantamweight?!?

From a quick check on wiki, it appears that many of the weights classes came into continuous use between 1975-1987, these are:

105, Strawweight - 1987
108, Light Flyweight - 1975
115, Super Flyweight - 1980
122, Super Bantamweight - 1976
168, Super Middleweight - 1984
205, Cruiserweight 1980 (I hear this was to accommodate Holyfield?)

My question is does anyone know why there was such an addition of divisions during this relatively short period of time?

For smaller men - the weight difference is bigger, e.g. for a super middle weight 2-3 pounds isn't that much of a difference, to a flyweight it's a much bigger difference, you have to work it out as percentage to get a more valid view of weights in relation to the fighter.

although I personally believe Super Bantamweight is BS, fighters from Bantamweight and Super- BantamWeight are often similar.

Don't really follow bellow super flyweight so can't comment on them

Cruiserweight division limit is 200lb - I think.

Reason many division, I believe is to gave more champions, meaning more title holders, meaning more sactioning fees for the organisations like WBC, WBA etc...

Super Middleweight if am not mistaken was created for Sugar Ray Leonard

Agree KO-King that for smaller men the weight difference needs to be proportion but it's still crazy!

You're right about cruiser, I was thinking MMA which has a LHW limit of 205ibs.

I just think 3ibs seems completely minuscule regardless of any man's size.

I guess can only be for money.

VC, Holy turned pro in 1984

SRL is given credit as being the first man to win world titles in 5 different weights. That honour belongs to Hearns who won the WBO SMW title prior to SRL fighting one fight for 2 weight classes belts.

The WBO was a joke belt then but seeing as it is more highly regarded now, Hearns was THE man.

you're right, regardless of the athletes size, 3lbs is far too small to have a major impact.

the only thing i can understand to the contrary is these men are so finely tuned and pushing their body to the limit where the smallest of things sway performance.

my argument is they may weigh the same at the weigh in, but on fight night they're often many pounds different in weight. so 3lbs actually isn't a lot in the ring at all, regardless of size.

I think money must play some part into it but with cruiserweight I think it made sense when we started to see the HW's get bigger & bigger. Also wasn't it originally set at 190lb?

An interesting point made by OasisBFC with regards to the weigh in & fight night weight, I agree with you 3lbs means nothing.

With MMA or at least in the UFC from LW & below there is a 10lb diference between the weights, from LW to MW 15lbs. K1 only has 2 weights below 70kg or above 70kg.

I think its a massive problem in lower weights. Makes it very fan unfriendly, disjointed and diluted in quality.

Its because the lunatics are running the asylum. Always have and probably always will be.

Well considering Gomez was brutal at 122 and much less so at 126 then I think it probably answers your question..

A lot of that comes down to who he was facing at featherweight though Truss, would have to have Sanchez and Nelson down as better fighters than Pintor and Zarate for instance.

At first glance a 5lb weight gap upto light welter seems acceptable.

However, from a safety first perspective: smaller guys have less water weight to 'play with'. Losing 5 lb's to reach a lower weight category to confer physical advantages could induce dangerously high dehydration levels. Every boxer strives to acheive an optimum minimum weight to size advantage ratio.

By having weight gaps of three pound at low weights, then a boxer may not dangerously dehydrate to make weight. At the moment a guy would need to lose 6 lbs to drop two weights, from a pyscological perspective this seems unattainable therefore he would not try (you'd hope). However, if weight caterogories were seperated by five pounds then small guys would be regularly dehydrating by 5lb to make weight.

With 5lb weight gaps at low categories the mind of a boxer would go something like this...."I used to lose 3lbs, therefore at a push I should be able to lose 5lb and squeeze into the weight just below"......this is dangerous!

However, as things are (with 3lb gaps) then the mind of the boxer would go something like this...'that last three pound was a struggle, there is no way i could lose the same again, and drop 6lb and TWO WEIGHTS"....this is Safe!



While the difference between 5lb and 6lbs is tiny hopefully this demonstrates how a 3lb weight gap as opposed to a 5lb gap is safer by acting as a psyhological deterrent. ...Its like 12 weeks sounds shorter than 3 month

.....ofcourse i could be speaking BS

Not quite true MM, Rios was regularly weighing in at over 150lbs when fighting at lightweight which was bigger than many light welterweights, with 24 hour weigh in it makes the need for extra weight divisions even more ridiculous.

Both Ricardo Lopez and Ivan Calderon were outstanding straw weights and moved up to light fly and both were never quite as good. So the 3lb jump had an affect on them.

The problem is to many belts at each weight not to many weights. If their was one belt at each weight most weights would be very competitive. The fact guys can hide away and remain a world champion making decent to good and in the cases of John and Kameda very good money and not having to fight the best in their division is the problem.

Too many weights for me. An outstanding fighter should be able to step up 3lbs. The bigger issue was more likely the minimum weight divisions populated by Lopez or Calderon just were not that strong. The quality is all diluted down there.

Bah humbug, get back to eight weight divisions as Manos as already said if a fighter is any bloody good he should be able to move up 3lbs. Similarly even in the higher weights should be able to move up seven lbs. Makes me laugh when people say it is tto hard to skip weights, its meant to be. Good back long enough and the only three division champions were Armstrong and Fitzsimmons, absolute giants of the game, now Duke Mackenzie is one.

Does anyone genuinely believe if you scrap all the super and junior weight classes Mayweather could not have skipped between light and welter or Jones could not have gone from middle to light heavy, of course they could because they are exceptional fighters doing something exceptional which is how things should be.

Calderon and Lopez beat some good fighters. When Calderon moved up the size difference really had an affect on him. He was usually always the smaller man but it was magnified. Lopez never had the same problem he was very big for a straw weight.

Imperial Ghosty wrote:Not quite true MM, Rios was regularly weighing in at over 150lbs when fighting at lightweight which was bigger than many light welterweights, with 24 hour weigh in it makes the need for extra weight divisions even more ridiculous.

Yeah i know, i think the theory stands up a little better when applied to minimum up to feather perhaps?


24 hours to hydrate is fantastic and an advantage not afforded to amateurs. Yeah they only box 3 - 4 rounds and dehydration may not prove to be lethal in that instance... but it certainly effects performance!

I think 24 hours to hydrate is safe in the fact that it allows the head cavity to fill with fluid and protect the brain, but there is no denying that hydrating in 24hrs , after excessive dehydration, can impair performance (which is dangerous in itself).

It was a bit more than 3lbs for Calderon for instance who had to impose a check weigh in limit on Cazares because he could barely reach the divisions limit let alone rehydrate above it, in his case you're talking about a 14lb plus difference between himself and his opponents.

I dont think the problem is with moving up. The problem is for the guys that are trying to make weight, and gain an advantage, by losing that extra couple of pounds that would be necessary with fewer weights. While the greats can move up and down with ease, unfortunatley, most normal people struggle and it is THEIR safety that would be compromised.

25lbs seperated by 8 divisions is way to much for me. Especially nowadays with weight cutting and rehydrating meaning who knows what the heck these smaller guys actually physically weigh in the ring. Its just spreading the talent down there too thin and makes it easy to hide in divisions defending one of the 40 odd titles up for grabs below lightweight. The incentive for the best to fight the best down there is much less of an issue.

TheMackemMawler wrote:

Imperial Ghosty wrote:Not quite true MM, Rios was regularly weighing in at over 150lbs when fighting at lightweight which was bigger than many light welterweights, with 24 hour weigh in it makes the need for extra weight divisions even more ridiculous.

Yeah i know, i think the theory stands up a little better when applied to minimum up to feather perhaps?


24 hours to hydrate is fantastic and an advantage not afforded to amateurs. Yeah they only box 3 - 4 rounds and dehydration may not prove to be lethal in that instance... but it certainly effects performance!

I think 24 hours to hydrate is safe in the fact that it allows the head cavity to fill with fluid and protect the brain, but there is no denying that hydrating in 24hrs , after excessive dehydration, can impair performance (which is dangerous in itself).

I'm very much of the view that you should fight at the weight at which you enter the ring, if you struggle to make lower weights don't fight there trying to gain an advantage. Rios for example should be fighting at light middleweight not light welterweight. In essence everyone except Pacquiao and Mayweather should be fighting at a higher weight.

There really is no need for the extra weight divisions, if you can't make bantamweight fight at featherweight instead.

Certainly too many divisions for my liking, and I don't think a gap of just 3 lb between some can be justified at all.

I tend to think that the likes of Lopez and Calderon looking slightly better at Strawweight then they did at Light-Fly is simply consistent with their prime years being spent at the lower weight. Had they stepped up to 108 lb sooner, I feel sure they'd have looked just as good as they did at 105 lb.

The odd thing is that, in general, it's been the additional weight divisions which actually made sense and are easier to justify (namely Super-Middleweight and Cruiserweight) which have often lagged behind in genuine quality over the three circa three decades they've existed, apart from the odd peak here and there.

Call me old fashioned Chris but I liked the gap between middleweight and light heavyweight, it seemed to be an illusive barrier seperating the very good from the great, off the top of my head can only think of Tiger and Hopkins who have made the jump to win a lineal title. These added divisions just seem to be an easy route for the less talented fighters to win titles.

Loi, Locche and Pryor are the only truly great single junior class world champions.

alma wrote:I always thought cruiserweight limit was 190 until 2003 when it was upped to 200

There was always a bit of confusion about the precise Cruiserweight limit, Alma!

The WBC began at 190 lb when they got off the mark with the division in 1979. They then decided to increase the limit to 195 lb in 1982, which was the year in which the WBA crowned their first champion, with the IBF following a year later - however, the latter two decided to stay with the original limit. So for a while there were, in effect, two different Cruiserweight limits! It wasn't until Holyfield unified the division in 1988 that the old 190 lb limit was agreed upon by all sanctioning bodies. As you say, it then crept up to 200 lb around the 2002 / 2003 mark.

Imperial Ghosty wrote:

TheMackemMawler wrote:

Imperial Ghosty wrote:Not quite true MM, Rios was regularly weighing in at over 150lbs when fighting at lightweight which was bigger than many light welterweights, with 24 hour weigh in it makes the need for extra weight divisions even more ridiculous.

Yeah i know, i think the theory stands up a little better when applied to minimum up to feather perhaps?


24 hours to hydrate is fantastic and an advantage not afforded to amateurs. Yeah they only box 3 - 4 rounds and dehydration may not prove to be lethal in that instance... but it certainly effects performance!

I think 24 hours to hydrate is safe in the fact that it allows the head cavity to fill with fluid and protect the brain, but there is no denying that hydrating in 24hrs , after excessive dehydration, can impair performance (which is dangerous in itself).

I'm very much of the view that you should fight at the weight at which you enter the ring, if you struggle to make lower weights don't fight there trying to gain an advantage. Rios for example should be fighting at light middleweight not light welterweight. In essence everyone except Pacquiao and Mayweather should be fighting at a higher weight.

There really is no need for the extra weight divisions, if you can't make bantamweight fight at featherweight instead.

I struggled to make welterweight but the fact was i was a better welterweight than I was a light-middleweight. The light middleweights were giants..... but i was a giant at welterweight. This is boxing and everyone is weight draining. But i concede, I suppose i wasn't good enough without the physical advantage. .

...oh that hurt

Imperial Ghosty wrote:Call me old fashioned Chris but I liked the gap between middleweight and light heavyweight, it seemed to be an illusive barrier seperating the very good from the great, off the top of my head can only think of Tiger and Hopkins who have made the jump to win a lineal title. These added divisions just seem to be an easy route for the less talented fighters to win titles.

Loi, Locche and Pryor are the only truly great single junior class world champions.

Agree with you in general, Ghosty. Just highlighting that Super-Middleweight is at least one of the more understandable additions, as the gap between Middleweight and Light-Heavyweight was the biggest in boxing at the time. Wouldn't mind seeing it scrapped all too much, just like you, but at least the reason for it being there is a justifiable one.

Might have to add Khaosai Galaxy to that mini list, though!

Here's something then.... regardless of the number of weights in boxing, we still have the same number of boxers at our disposal. If there are too many weights, and weight doesn't matter to that extent, then super fights between boxers of different weight classes should be made at a particular weight. But its not different weight categories stopping the best from fighting the best. It's politics. I do infact think there are too many weights, but at the end of the day guys need to make a living and winning a belt in one of the superflous weight categories provides an income which I for one do not begrudge.
One belt holder at each weight.

Another thing, if there were fewer categories the distinction between two weights would be less because everyone would be fighting at catch weights and the hole belt situation would become even more blurred

thats another thing - get rid of bloody catch weights for world title bouts!

Imperial Ghosty wrote:

TheMackemMawler wrote:

Imperial Ghosty wrote:Not quite true MM, Rios was regularly weighing in at over 150lbs when fighting at lightweight which was bigger than many light welterweights, with 24 hour weigh in it makes the need for extra weight divisions even more ridiculous.

Yeah i know, i think the theory stands up a little better when applied to minimum up to feather perhaps?


24 hours to hydrate is fantastic and an advantage not afforded to amateurs. Yeah they only box 3 - 4 rounds and dehydration may not prove to be lethal in that instance... but it certainly effects performance!

I think 24 hours to hydrate is safe in the fact that it allows the head cavity to fill with fluid and protect the brain, but there is no denying that hydrating in 24hrs , after excessive dehydration, can impair performance (which is dangerous in itself).

I'm very much of the view that you should fight at the weight at which you enter the ring, if you struggle to make lower weights don't fight there trying to gain an advantage. Rios for example should be fighting at light middleweight not light welterweight. In essence everyone except Pacquiao and Mayweather should be fighting at a higher weight.

There really is no need for the extra weight divisions, if you can't make bantamweight fight at featherweight instead.

You make some very good points which I agree with. Fighters should be fighting at weights that are more natural to them rather than dehydrating themselves down a couple of weight classes only to go back up them to gain an advantage come fight night. Froch from what I have heard doesn't have to shed much weight for fights & he has great stamina, durability & a good chin. Manny & Floyd also walk around not far off their fighting weights & they rarely seem to be lacking speed, strength, stamina etc. Interestingly the UFC's former LW champ & p4p top 10 fighter Frankie Edgar doesn't cut weight for fights even though he ends up fighting guys on fight night who can be 15lbs heavier! Some fans & UFC insiders think he should drop down to FW (10lb less) especially after his recent points loss, as he'd potentially have an advantage but no he refuses as he feels more comfortable & has been very sucessful. As I mentioned earlier the weight classes are 10lb apart from LW & below, 15lb apart LW to MW with 20lb between MW & LHW, why cant boxing be along these lines? Less title fights less sanctioning fees I'd imagine.

MMA fighters take less blows to the head therefore hydration is not paramount. Hydration helps to prevent brain injury, this is why it is important to boxers.