Everyone loves an underdog or do they?

[GonzoStyle]

I think I was following along ok, but you lost me when you got to this stuff

does everyone try to move thru the divisions? Is that common? I guess I just figured they stayed in one.

Are there fans of only one division? Do you prefer a certain kind?

Good question, boxing itself is a very confusing sport for the casual fans.

Back in the day prior to the mid 70's. There were only 8 weight classes and one recognized champion. Now the divisions have doubled and there are 3 recognized belts for each division.

So a division can have as many as three "world" champions. But now they are starting to crack down on this by recognizing one person as the true champion and calling the others "title holders" which is all they are.

For example, Roy Jones is the "undisputed champion" because he alone holds all three belts. But Lennox Lewis is recognized as the true champion in the heavyweight division cause he is the best in everyones eyes. BUT Lewis only holds one belt. John Ruiz holds the WBA belt and the IBF belt is up for grabs in an elimination bout next month. So Ruiz is simply a title holder while everyone recognizes Lewis at the heavyweight champion.... yes, very confusing.

Moving up or down in weight is very common. Roy Jones started off at a middleweight and moved up in weight through the years. The reason for moving up in weight can be for three reasons.

1 - It is harder for a boxer to "make" weight through the years. Making weight is very hard, if you fight at say 147 pounds you have to weigh in at 147 or less, if you come in at 147 and a 1/4 pounds you can not fight. Some fighters starve and dehydrate themselves to make weight, the reason being they feel they have en edge if they are naturally bigger and they fight someone who is smaller. You can weight in the day before at 147 but gain 10 pounds overnight and come in at 160 for the fight and that is legal. The only division that does not require weight limits is the heavyweight division.

2 - People move up for money, the bigger the weight the more money people stand to make. Oscar Delahoya moved up from the 130's to the 140's and now 150's to make more money.

3 - A Champion can clean out a division. There can come a point where someone has been champion for a while and has beaten everyone in his weight class and it is time to move on. Which is what Roy Jones is basically doing. He has dominated the light heavyweight division to the point where he has beaten everyone there is in the top 10, top 20 even. So he is moving up in weight to find new challanges.

The only reason I am worried about his move up in weight is simple. Most fighters move up 3 pounds or 5 pounds and that is huge for a fighter. Cause its not like you eat some junk food and put on 5 pounds, you have to put on 5 pounds on muscle and 1 or 2 pounds makes a big difference when you fight at 130 pounds or 140 pounds.

Roy Jones is moving up from 175 pounds to a division where most fighters weigh north of 220 pounds. Lennox Lewis weighs in between 240-250 pounds. Roy Jones began his career at 154 pounds and he is under 6 feet tall, for him to move up past 200 pounds is a bad idea.

The greatest fighter ever in my opinion and many others was Sugar Ray Robinson and he was the greatest welterweight champion ever, that is in the 140's as far as weight. Robinson was dominant buthe also moved up in weight to middleweight. while he was a good middleweight at 160 pounds he was never as great, he lost a lot. Then he tried to challange for the 175 pound title and almost literally died trying.

In all of history only one many successfully won the heavyweight championship moving up from light heavyweight. The odds and logic is not on roy jones side.