Some boxing pundits are saying that the insistence of Manny Pacquiao?s camp to fight bigger foes at catch weight limit is watering down his impeccable run at boxing records and history.
It gets magnified because Pacquiao is threatening to topple many boxing icons from the hallowed list of all time greats. In fact, Manny may well be already on the top of that list if today is 20 years from now.
Boxing used to only have seven or eight weight categories.
One has to either fight in one or another. Nothing in between. Fighters used to hold titles in different weight classes – simultaneously. During the early years of the sports, fighters boxed each other until one drops or quits.
The sport has since evolved tremendously and the field has leveled up considerably. Boxing has become a lot safer due to improvisation and innovation.
There are three major changes that made modern day boxing still attractive and fan friendly. Except of course when matches are fixed and scoring are rigged to favor a prot?g? or two of a promoter.
First, championship fights have been reduced to twelve rounds. Second, weight classes were expanded to eliminate huge disparities and advantages between protagonists. Third, and lately, weigh-ins are now held a day before the fight when it used to be just hours before fight night.
The last one, I believe, is something debatable.
A boxer who fights in a welterweight division should climb the ring a welterweight, not five to 12 pounds over the limit after the prior day weighing in.
If a fighter comes in below the limit, that is his risk to take. But no fighter should be allowed to one-up the other by coming in over the agreed weight limit. Shades of Floyd Mayweather Jr, uh?
No wonder, nowadays, you often find one boxer glaringly bigger than the other in some fights because fighters are able to re-hydrate by as much as 12 per cent of their body weight on fight night after starving themselves dry for days before the match.
Now, going back to Pacquiao. Is fighting at catch weight limits one way of exacting advantage over his opponents?
Of course not. Pacquiao has been fighting bigger men en route to his record-breaking feats. Some moved up in weight to fight him (Oscar Larios and Jorge Solis).
If one boxer is not comfortable with weight ceilings, he can always refuse to sign the contract and just turn his back.
Some boxing writers are simply toeing the revisionist line to discredit what Manny has accomplished in boxing. Manny has never complained when he climbs the ring the smaller man. Why should the big man then complain Manny is small? Makes me laugh because Manny has been defying conventional wisdom and beating bigger men he is supposed to lose to.
Catch weigh limit or not, Manny is a great champion. Maybe be incomparable. But not funny enough to demand undue advantage over the other? Go take your coffee break please.
