Women’s boxing has made remarkable strides in recent years, gaining attention and respect that were once hard to come by. However, when it comes to the heavyweight division, a continuing trend seems to persist throughout the sport of women’s boxing.
The issue is pretty basic folks….the proper classification of the weights in women’s boxing. What we see periodically throughout the years is that even world title belts are on the line for fights where the boxers are close to 30 pounds shy of the weight class for the heavyweight division.
The Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) mandates in rule #3 for female boxers: “The weight classes shall be the same as use by male boxers.”
And yet, we have females coming into the ring weighing as low as 170 1/4, which is approximately 30 pounds less than the heavyweight classification.
WBAN’s question: “Why?”
We are seeing women boxers competing in the heavyweights, and even at times, for federation world title belts weighing in the 170’s. That is a staggering 25 plus pounds lighter than the heavyweight division.
As most know we have enough issues in this weight class that the pool of boxers is so thin and has been that way since “forever” at this point so far—that we are now creating a fairytale division where women are not even close to that weight class…again, Why?”
Let’s get off the “Fairytale” wagon, and get back to the rules of the sport—“The weight classes shall be the same as use by male boxers.” Link to the ABC Commission: abcboxing.com/female-rules/
Boxing organizations may in fact set some of their own guidelines, to create their own narrative of a heavyweight division in the women’s boxing—but come on now—170’s for the heavyweight division?
Again…let’s truly get off the “fairytale” train.
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