EDITOR’S LETTER
Why coming in above the weight limit should no longer be an option
Missing weight should not be an option
IT may seem unfair to criticise a fighter who put forth the kind of effort Scott Quigg did on Saturday night, but that he was allowed to take on Oscar Valdez at all, after hitting the scales almost three pounds north of the featherweight limit, is the latest example of a concerning and dangerous trend. Valdez-quigg was ultimately rip-roaring and rumbustious, it made us ordinary folk wince in admiration at times, but does that mean we turn a blind eye, yet again, to something so flagrantly unjust?
Granted, this isn’t the same as the premeditated process of taking drugs in order to gain an advantage, and Quigg, renowned for his fierce and earnest dedication, should not be put in the same bracket as those who sculpt their physiques and enhance their stamina via illegal substances. However, while the path to gaining an unfair advantage is wholly different in Quigg’s case, the fact is, he did gain an unfair advantage and, furthermore, it can be argued that coming into a fight so far above the contracted weight, particularly at featherweight, is just as dangerous as turning up chemically enhanced. Again, the contest was a thriller, but would it have been if Quigg wasn’t the significantly bigger man? Would Valdez now be nursing a broken jaw if his rival was the same size? Without doubt, we wouldn’t be championing the bout if those injuries were significantly worse.
There is a very simple reason weight classes exist and that is to ensure contests occur between two fighters who are the same size. Therefore, when the boundaries are discarded, the bigger boxer will, in most cases, hold a substantial advantage in strength which could rightly be described as cheating.
I do not, however, believe this was part of some dastardly plan from the outset; Quigg and his team made honest mistakes, but I do wholeheartedly believe that if a fight being cancelled was the only option when weight limits are broken – like they are in top level amateur competition, for example – the current problem would soon cease.
Granted, Valdez’s WBO title was removed from Quigg’s grasp, the Englishman’s wages were docked and, for some observers, that was punishment enough.
But the safety of both fighters, irrespective of purses and time and inconvenience, must always be paramount. And yes, Valdez, like many boxers put in a similar position in recent years, ultimately decided the risks were worth getting paid for. But the boxers, desperate to fight and clouded by visions of invincibility, should not have the last word in situations like this.
Think back to Deontay Wilder being eager to take on Luis Ortiz in November, immediately after the Cuban had failed a drug test. Just because Wilder was willing, should the fight have gone ahead at that time? What if Ortiz had lost 10 per cent of his purse for every drop of juice found in his blood – would that have made it okay? Of course it wouldn’t. So why are fight contracts today often drawn up with comparable punishments for coming in too heavy?
The responsibility ultimately lies with commissioners, but promoters – like Bob Arum, who reportedly ignored Team Valdez’s threat to pull out – should also step up and show as much common sense as they do business sense.
The hazards of one athlete weighing more than the other are not just being faced by the smaller fighter. Quigg refused to try and lose weight after the weigh-in because he had already tortured his leaner than lean body, sweating unhealthily until 4am, when Eddie Hearn sensibly said enough was enough on the eve of the bout.
Such extreme dehydration is dreadful preparation for a gruelling contest and, according to some scientists, even 36 hours is not enough time for the brain and body to be completely restored to full health.
All things considered, then, hats off to both Valdez and Quigg for their in-ring efforts that illustrated the astonishing lengths these athletes can reach.
The cuts and bruises and broken bones will heal this time.