TITLE BOUTS FOUGHT AT CATCHWEIGHTS

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KSTAT124
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TITLE BOUTS FOUGHT AT CATCHWEIGHTS

Post by KSTAT124 »

You can actually go back to the early 1900s and find title bouts fought at catchweights but because divisional weight limits were often changed during the first decade of the 20th century, I'll start my list after weight limits had been established for many years.

This is not a complete list but one that gives key examples of world titles being on the line at weights less than the division limits.

4/24/31- World Lightweight and World Junior Welterweight Titles- World Lightweight Champion Tony Canzoneri/World Junior Welterweight Champion Jackie "Kid" Berg- Limit- 135; Canzoneri weighed in at 132; Berg at 134 1/4; Winner- Canzoneri KO-3

9/10/31- World Lightweight and World Junior Welterweight Titles- Champion Tony Canzoneri/Challenger Jackie "Kid" Berg- Limit- 135; (weights not available); Winner- Canzoneri UD 15

11/20/31- World Lightweight and World Junior Welterweight Titles- Champion Tony Canzoneri/Challenger Kid Chocolate- Limit- *135; (weights not available); Winner- Canzoneri SD 15 (*- Note: Had Canzoneri made the 130-pound limit, which he didn't, he would have been awarded Kid Chocolate's World Junior Lightweight title. That would have made Canzoneri, a former World Featherweight champion, boxing's first four-divisional champion.)

10/13/32- Vacant NYSAC and Ring Magazine World Featherweight Titles and World Junior Lightweight Title- World Junior Lightweight Champion Kid Chocolate/Challenger Lew Feldman- Limit- 126; Kid Chocolate weighed in at 125 3/4; Feldman at 125 1/2; Winner- Kid Chocolate KO-12

12/9/32- NYSAC and Ring Magazine World Feathrweight Titles and World Junior Lightweight Title- Champion Kid Chocolate/Challenger Fidel LaBarba- Limit- 126; Kid Chocolate weighed in at 125 1/2; LaBarba at 124; Winner- Kid Chocolate MD 15

5/19/33- NYSAC and Ring Magazine World Featherweight Titles and World Junior Lightweight Title- Champion Kid Chocolate/Challenger Seaman Tommy Watson-Limit- 126; Kid Chocolate weighed in at 123 1/2; Watson at 125 1/2; Winner- Kid Chocolate UD 15

6/23/33- World Lightweight and World Junior Welterweight Titles- Champion Tony Canzoneri/Challenger Barney Ross- Limit- 135; Canzoneri weighed in at 133 1/2; Ross at 134 3/4; Winner- Ross MD 10

9/12/33- World Lightweight and World Junior Welterweight Titles- Champion Barney Ross/Challenger Tony Canzoneri- Limit- 135; Ross weighed in at 135; Canzoneri at 133 1/2; Winner- Ross SD 15

5/28/34- World Welterweight Title- Champion Jimmy McLarnin/Challenger Barney Ross- Limit- 142; McLarnin weighed in at 142; Ross at 137 1/2; Winner- Ross SD 15 (Note: the two subsequent fights between Ross and McLarnin were fought with the divisional limit of 147 in effect- McLarnin (146 1/4) regained the title from Ross (140 1/4) by SD 15 on 9/17/34 and Ross (141) regained the title from McLarnin (144 3/4) by UD 15 on 5/28/35.)

5/31/38- World Welterweight Title- Champion Barney Ross/Challenger Henry Armstrong- Limit- 142; Ross weighed in at 142; Armstrong at 133 1/2; Winner- Armstrong UD 15

3/16/39- World Lightweight and World Welterweight Titles- Champion Henry Armstrong/Challenger Lew Feldman- Limit- 135; Armstrong weighed in at 135; Feldman at 134; Winner- Armstrong KO-1

11/7/88- WBC World Light Heavyweight and Vacant WBC World Super Middleweight Titles- Champion Donny Lalonde/Challenger Sugar Ray Leonard- Limit- 168; Lalonde weighed in at 167; Leonard at 165; Winner- Leonard TKO-9

6/12/89- WBC and WBO World Super Middleweight Titles- Champion Sugar Ray Leonard/Champion Thomas Hearns- Limit- 164; Leonard weighed in at 160; Hearns at 162 1/2; Split Dec. Draw 12

12/7/89- WBC World Super Middleweight Title- Champion Sugar Ray Leonard/Challenger Roberto Duran- Limit- 162; Leonard weighed in at 160; Duran at 158; Winner- Leonard UD 12

5/9/92- WBC World Super Welterweight Title- Champion Terry Norris/Challenger Meldrick Taylor- Limit- 151 1/2; Both fighters weighed in at 149; Winner- Norris TKO-4

9/10/93- Lineal and WBC World Welterweight Titles- Champion Pernell Whitaker/Challenger Julio Cesar Chavez- Limit- 145; Whitaker weighed in at 145; Chavez at 142; Maj. Dec. Draw 12

9/18/04- WBA World Middleweight Super Championship; Lineal, IBF, WBC, and Ring Magazine World Middleweight Titles/WBO World Middleweight Title- Super Champion; Champion Bernard Hopkins/Champion Oscar De La Hoya- Limit- 157; Hopkins weighed in at 156; De La Hoya at 155; Winner- Hopkins KO-9

7/21/07- Ring Magazine World Light Heavyweight Title- Champion Bernard Hopkins/Challenger Winky Wright- Limit- 170; Both fighters weighed in at 170; Winner- Hopkins UD 12

11/14/09- WBO World Welterweight Title- Champion Miguel Cotto/Challenger Manny Pacquiao- Limit- 145; Cotto weighed in at 145; Pacquiao at 144; Winner- Pacquiao TKO-12

11/13/10- Vacant WBC World Super Welterweight Title- Challenger Antonio Margarito/Challenger Manny Pacquiao- Limit- 150; Margarito weighed in at 150; Pacquiao at 144 1/2; Winner- Pacquiao UD 12

11/20/10- Lineal, WBC, and Ring Magazine World Middleweight Titles- Champion Sergio Martinez/Challenger Paul Williams- Limit- 158; Martinez weighed in at 157 1/4; Williams at 156; Winner- Martinez KO-2

11/12/11- WBO World Welterweight Title- Champion Manny Pacquiao/Challenger Juan Manuel Marquez- Limit- 144; Pacquiao weighed in at 143; Marquez at 142; Winner- Pacquiao Maj. Dec. 12

12/3/11- WBA World Super Welterweight Super Championship- Champion Miguel Cotto/Challenger Antonio Margarito- Limit- 153; Cotto weighed in at 152 1/4; Margarito at 152 1/2; Winner- Cotto TKO-10

4/21/12- Vacant WBC World Super Bantamweight Title- Challenger Abner Mares/Challenger Eric Morel- Limit- 120; Mares weighed in at 119 1/2; Morel at 120; Winner- Mares Unan. Dec. 12

9/14/13- Vacant Lineal World Junior Middleweight Title/WBA World Super Welterweight Super Championship/WBC World Super Welterweight Title/Ring Magazine World Junior Middleweight Title- WBA Super Champion Floyd Mayweather, Jr./WBA Unified World Super Welterweight Champion-WBC World Super Welterweight Champion-Ring Magazine World Junior Middleweight Champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez- Limit- 152; Mayweather weighed in at 150 1/2; Alvarez weighed in at 152; Winner- Mayweather Maj. Dec. 12

6/7/14- Lineal, WBC, and Ring Magazine World Middleweight Titles- Champion Sergio Martinez/Challenger Miguel Cotto- Limit 159; Martinez weighed in at 158 3/4; Cotto at 155; Winner- Cotto TKO-10

9/14/14- WBA World Welterweight Super Championship/WBC and Ring Magazine World Welterweight Titles/WBC World Super Welterweight Title/Lineal and Ring Magazine World Junior Middleweight Titles- Super Champion/Champion Floyd Mayweather, Jr. vs. Challenger Marcos Maidana- Limit 147; Mayweather weighed in at 146 1/2; Maidana at 146; Winner- Mayweather Unan. Dec. 12

11/23/14- WBO World Welterweight Title- Champion Manny Pacquiao vs. Challenger Chris Algieri- Limit 144; Pacquiao weighed in at 143 3/4; Algieri at 143 1/2; Winner- Pacquiao Unan. Dec. 12

6/6/15- Lineal, WBC, and Ring Magazine World Middleweight Titles- Champion Miguel Cotto/Challenger Daniel Geale- Limit 157; Cotto weighed in at 153.6; Geale at 157; Winner- Cotto TKO-4

11/21/15- Lineal, Ring Magazine, and Vacant WBC World Middleweight Titles- Lineal and Ring Magazine Champion Miguel Cotto/Challenger Saul "Canelo" Alvarez- Limit- 155; Cotto weighed in at 153 1/2; Alvarez at 155; Winner- Alvarez Unan. Dec. 12

5/7/16- Lineal, Ring Magazine, and WBC World Middleweight Titles- Champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez/Challenger Amir Khan- Limit-155; Alvarez weighed in at 155 as did Khan; Winner- Alvarez KO-6
Last edited by KSTAT124 on Wed Aug 27, 2014 6:56 pm, edited 5 times in total.
Peat56
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Re: TITLE BOUTS FOUGHT AT CATCHWEIGHTS

Post by Peat56 »

Leonard-Lalonde was an interesting an exciting fight. Lalonde was far from great, but he has the size and power to cause some difficulties for the smaller Leonard.

Did this fight actually result in Leonard being able to call himself Light Heavyweight Champ? If so, I would find that quite dubious.
KSTAT124
TTR Rankings & Results Editor
TTR Rankings & Results Editor
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Re: TITLE BOUTS FOUGHT AT CATCHWEIGHTS

Post by KSTAT124 »

Peat56 wrote:Leonard-Lalonde was an interesting an exciting fight. Lalonde was far from great, but he has the size and power to cause some difficulties for the smaller Leonard.

Did this fight actually result in Leonard being able to call himself Light Heavyweight Champ? If so, I would find that quite dubious.
Both the vacant WBC world super middleweight title (inaugural title bout) and Lalonde's WBC world light heavyweight title were on the line and Leonard won them both. The WBC gave him a certain amount of time during which he had to decide which title he would keep. He decided to keep the title at 168 but he was the WBC world light heavyweight champion from November 7, 1988 until November 17, 1988.

There had been a precedent for winning two world titles at the same time- the 6/23/33 Tony Canzoneri-Barney Ross fight in which Ross won both the world lightweight and world junior welterweight titles from Canzoneri.
KSTAT124
TTR Rankings & Results Editor
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Posts: 23953
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Re: TITLE BOUTS FOUGHT AT CATCHWEIGHTS

Post by KSTAT124 »

Last edited in May of 2016 (addition of Alvarez-Khan)

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