Time to re-calibrate the weight divisions?

Given that the original weight class limits were decided in the 1880's, a time when the average man weighed 160lbs, is it now time to re-calibrate the weight divisions to reflect the differences between the modern fighter and his Victorian predecessor?

The average man now weighs 190lbs, an increase of 20% on the 1880 figure. Whether that is down to nutrition, training, evolution or God's will is another debate, but it is undeniable that fighters today are bigger than those of 100+ years ago.

In boxing this is only really noticable in the heavyweight division, for obvious reasons, as a 147lb welterweight today weighs the same as a 147lb welterweight from 1915.

However, the lighter weightclasses are now so sparsely populated it is possible to get a world title shot after four or five fights.

So, my grand plan to save boxing is this, revert to eight weight classes (and also retain Cruiserweight to bridge the gap between LHW and the dreadnoughts) and re-calibrate them to more accurately reflect the increased height and weight of athletes the world over.

New weight limits as follows:

Flyweight - 135

Bantamweight - 141

Featherweight - 150

Lightweight - 162

Welterweight - 176

Middleweight - 192

Light Heavy - 210

Cruiserweight - 240

Heavyweight - 240+

It will never happen, and perhaps I've gone a bit far, but is this the basis of a good idea?

No, it isn't, I'm afraid. Why shouldn't a welterweight still weigh 147, or a middleweight 160? No earthly reason why you have to raise these weights at all. Cruiserweight is fine at 200 lb. Any heavier than that and you can damn well take your chance with the big lads.

Still plenty of proper flyweights around the world, just as there are plenty of flat jockeys. The average man in this country may be a comparative behemoth, but not all that is due to natural evolution. A lot of modern men could do with eating a fair bit less. If everyone actually exercised a little, you'd find that average weight falling fairly noticeably, I imagine.

No, with the exception of the removal of the junior weight classes, I'm bound to say that I think this to be a dreadful idea. What boxing needs is less tampering, not more. One governing body, yes. Nine weight divisions, sure. The rest is fiddling for the sake of it.

I think we'd be better off just merging some of the lower weight classes so that taking a dump isn't enough to shift you between two. 135...126...118 n that's it.

I'm not sure myself. I certainly think that Cruiserweight is fine as it is - if Cruiserweight was indeed raised to 240 lb, then the likes of the Klitschkos would be dangerously close to being classed as such, which would be a little on the silly side!

At best, the only change I'd make would be to raise Light-Heavyweight to perhaps 185 lb (a gap of 25 lb between Light-Heavy and Cruiser is at odds with the gaps separating other divisions) and then convert each division below up one step, so Super-Middle would take the old Light-Heavy limit of 175, Middleweight would take Super-Middleweight's of 168, Light-Middle goes up to 160 and so on.

Not sure any such tampering is really needed, though. Weigh ins thirty-six hours before the fight have already gone some way to allowing men from the lower classes to compensate for the continued growth of man over the past hundred years or so.

I agree with light heavyweight being moved to around 180ish and maybe get rid of some of the super's below featherweight when they are separated by 3 or 4 lbs

I don't think those above SFW shod be changed (bar LH) and as someone mentioned the average man may 30lbs more and 20% of there body weight but I'm pretty sure the average body fat the average man has will have increase any a similar figure

There's just way too many divisions. I cannot for the life of me see why there should be 5ibs between a division and sometimes less!

MMA have a lesser amount of divisions and works well:

Flyweight: 125
Bantamweight: 135
Featherweight: 145
Lightweight: 155
Welterweight: 170
Middleweight: 185
Light Heavyweight: 205
Heavyweight: 265
Super Heavyweight: No weight limit

I don't think we should nessarily change the name but I do agree it sounds odd when you consider the avaerage size of people now.

You CAN'T make the lightest division 125lbs + if there are active boxers that weigh 108lbs, you are basically retiring all of the good Asian fighters around rhat naturally don't grow very big. Ioka is a genuine world class fighter and making a great live being a star in Asia but no matter good he is, put him with Gamboa and he'll be killed

Boxing at the lower weights doesn't get into meica PPV's but there are enough fans that follow it for it to be successful.

I understand what you mean about the good tiny people but they should cut most of the smaller ones and have bigger gaps between the weight classes. 3ib weight difference is ridiculous.

I mean has there ever been a fighter at 105ibs who's power and ability haven't tranferred through 2 WHOLE weight divisions to 112ibs

Ps these tiddlers should eat their greens!

Valero's Conscience wrote:There's just way too many divisions. I cannot for the life of me see why there should be 5ibs between a division and sometimes less!

MMA have a lesser amount of divisions and works well:

Flyweight: 125
Bantamweight: 135
Featherweight: 145
Lightweight: 155
Welterweight: 170
Middleweight: 185
Light Heavyweight: 205
Heavyweight: 265
Super Heavyweight: No weight limit

I don't think we should nessarily change the name but I do agree it sounds odd when you consider the avaerage size of people now.

i agree with this, mma have had the benefit of seeing what boxing and others do, seeing what works and adapting it slightly, and the weight classes are perfect, boxers weight arent fixed in stone, for instance not many LWW would struggle to make WW and visa versa, so if they were mereged then the talent pool would be better, and the ones who couldnt make the weight would be more the capable of making weight the other direction (Lw or LMW)

A return to the old 8 divisions with cruiserweight added in would suit me fine.

Im not sure the current 17 weight classes actually acheives a great deal in terms of getting fighters to weigh similar. With the hydrating and rehydrating going on most of the time the guys in the lower weights especially can weigh several divisions more than the ones they compete.

Yeah same for me original 8 and Cruiser with a 3 day weigh in - including an hour before the fight. if there is a discrepancy of more than a couple of pounds or so - they get penalised as if they were overweight