Unfortunately, most current discussion regarding mythical matchups is unreasonable.
Look at it this way. We have a club called middleweight. This club used to be hard to get into, now it is easy. Oldtimers would say it is not even the same club anymore. They would have a point.
In the old days to get into the club you had to weigh 160 or less on the day of the fight. If you sweated off a lot of pounds you are probably going to lose the fight, pure and simple.
These days it can hardly be called an exclusive club anymore. Anyone who can sweat off 15 pounds and weigh 160 the day before the fight can now get in.
Hmmm, in the second scenario one's chances of winning because one sweated off 15 pounds increases instead of decreases.
That should tell us something huge, if we will only listen to our inner faculty of Reason.
The game of mythical matchups becomes too complex for the casually interested fan when played according to fair rules.
A first step is to categorize all so-called middleweight champions of history into two camps according to those we know could make the weight with same-day weigh-ins and those we know damned well couldn't. Those who we know couldn't, will have to fight their own mythical matchups a division higher.
The above would be done for every division to make things fair. This is far too complex for the casual fan, but I like it. I do not mind eliminating guys from mythical tournaments who could not make same-day weigh-ins, I think that is how it should be, in view of rule changes and other factors which have altered the historical landscape through displacement.
* * * * *
There are several things to know, which some forumers probably have insight into. For instance, how much weight can reasonably be put back on between the same-day weigh-in and the fight later that evening?
Secondly, exactly when did day-before weigh-ins come into being? Of course this will not be all at once, as various orgs straggled aboard. But what are the rough dates, so we can tell who they affect in our culling?
* * * * *
Danny Jacobs, for instance, could not fight SRR in a middleweight mythical matchup, because Jacobs could not make 160 on the day of the fight unless he wants to die in the ring from punches his dehydration allows to do more damage, but GGG could fight SRR, because GGG is a middleweight by the classic standards. GGG could make 160 the day of the fight without further jeopardizing his health.
It would probably be easy to think of some other huge middleweights who would no longer be middleweights, mythically, though they might even be a current champion. We just need the dates and who was given this break.
I figure we have the manpower on this site to know all of these things, and perhaps even to construct a new historical venue that is more fair and accurate.
Look at it this way. We have a club called middleweight. This club used to be hard to get into, now it is easy. Oldtimers would say it is not even the same club anymore. They would have a point.
In the old days to get into the club you had to weigh 160 or less on the day of the fight. If you sweated off a lot of pounds you are probably going to lose the fight, pure and simple.
These days it can hardly be called an exclusive club anymore. Anyone who can sweat off 15 pounds and weigh 160 the day before the fight can now get in.
Hmmm, in the second scenario one's chances of winning because one sweated off 15 pounds increases instead of decreases.
That should tell us something huge, if we will only listen to our inner faculty of Reason.
The game of mythical matchups becomes too complex for the casually interested fan when played according to fair rules.
A first step is to categorize all so-called middleweight champions of history into two camps according to those we know could make the weight with same-day weigh-ins and those we know damned well couldn't. Those who we know couldn't, will have to fight their own mythical matchups a division higher.
The above would be done for every division to make things fair. This is far too complex for the casual fan, but I like it. I do not mind eliminating guys from mythical tournaments who could not make same-day weigh-ins, I think that is how it should be, in view of rule changes and other factors which have altered the historical landscape through displacement.
* * * * *
There are several things to know, which some forumers probably have insight into. For instance, how much weight can reasonably be put back on between the same-day weigh-in and the fight later that evening?
Secondly, exactly when did day-before weigh-ins come into being? Of course this will not be all at once, as various orgs straggled aboard. But what are the rough dates, so we can tell who they affect in our culling?
* * * * *
Danny Jacobs, for instance, could not fight SRR in a middleweight mythical matchup, because Jacobs could not make 160 on the day of the fight unless he wants to die in the ring from punches his dehydration allows to do more damage, but GGG could fight SRR, because GGG is a middleweight by the classic standards. GGG could make 160 the day of the fight without further jeopardizing his health.
It would probably be easy to think of some other huge middleweights who would no longer be middleweights, mythically, though they might even be a current champion. We just need the dates and who was given this break.
I figure we have the manpower on this site to know all of these things, and perhaps even to construct a new historical venue that is more fair and accurate.
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