Most people think that the heavyweight division is the most dangerous. I also thought this was true until one Sat night in MSG with Alan Baron. That was the night that we almost saw someone die. Arturo Gatti vs. Joey Gamache was scheduled for the 140 lbs. weight limit. Gatti is naturally bigger than this weight and needed to force his body to make the agreed upon weight. With the advantage of power, will and determination already on Gatti's side, Gamache really didn't have a chance but it was supposed to be an exciting fight anyway. Unfortunately for Gamache, Gatti gained 20 lbs. from the weigh in to his ring entrance. Gamache was overmatched without the extra weight and now he had to face one of the hardest hitting punchers in the division with an extra 20 lbs to boot. The fight itself was short but the impact of the fight has lasted a lifetime. Gamache never fought again and still suffers from that night in MSG.
So what's the solution?
I say weigh the boxers before they enter the ring and don't allow the fight if they don't make weight. The referees always say to "keep it clean" before the fight starts. Maybe the commissions needs to do the same thing and stop letting boxers gain the amount of weight that Gatti did before someone gets killed.
1 comment:
This was an excellent post and use of video to serve as an example to back up your point. Awesome!
I competely agree and have often thought the same thing about weigh-ins and weight gain. If a casual fan like myself thinks about this, I'm sure others are as well.
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