Who would like to see championship fights return to 15 rounds?

Question

Also how many 12 round fights can you think of that would have had a different outcome if the match were 15 rounds.

Answer 1

I know that I would.  I know the reasoning behind them being changed to 12 rounds particularly after the death of Duk Koo Kim as being intended for the protection of a fighter but I still believe championship fights should be 15 rounds.  The history of boxing would probably be quite different had some older fights been 12 rounds instead of 15.  Here are some examples of what I mean.

Joe Louis vs Billy Conn.  Had this been a 12 rounder, Conn may very well have been crowned the new champ in 1941.

Rocky Marciano vs Jersey Joe Walcott.  Had this fight been a 12 rounder, we would have probably never had an undefeated heavyweight champ or remember that famous punch.

John Tate vs Mike Weaver.  Tate won possibly every round and lost in the 15th with about a minute left.  In a 12 rounder he wins easily.

Sugar Ray Leonard vs Thomas Hearns.  Had this fight beena 12 rounder, would Sugar Ray have still won?

Aaron Pryor vs Alexis Arguello.  Of course we know of the bottle incident before Pryor knocked out Arguello in the 14th.  What if it would have been a 12 rounder?

The championship rounds have been the 12th through the 15th for a reason as it really tests the fighters resolve and endurance and I would favor bring back 15 rounders at least for the title fights.

Answer 2

The caliber of fighters today wouldn't lasted 15 rounds nor do I want to watch 15 boring rounds. If it was a 12 round fight Jersey Joe Walcott would beat Rocky Marciano and Billy Conn would upset Joe Louis.

Answer 3

ME! Going 15 rounds will truly test the fighter's heart, which very few among present fighters have.

Answer 4

It's a nice thought, but for the sake of the fighters and the sake of possibly seeing three more rounds of a boring fight, I'm fine with the 12 round championship fights. Though, I wouldn't be totally against 13 rounds, as Elmer suggested, to reduce the chances of a draw.

Answer 5

lets see it! that would be the sh**!

This way we would not have to wait with baited breath to find out the Old De La Hoya LOST yet ANOTHER decision!  He gets gassed after 6 rounds, can you imagine this over-hyped mexican hillbilly after 15 rounds.  I bet that sick man would tell the world he could do it to.  He believes in fairy tales (like beating PBF and Cotto)

Outside the lighterweights that would be crazy-  Pavlik JT going 15 rounds?  How about Miranda - JC going 15.

David Haye - Sam Peter going 15?

Oh wait- any fight worth watching for 15 rounds will likely be over in less than 10!

Answer 6

I'd like to see 15, certainly.  Maybe keep it exclusive for title fights where the champ gets to choose either 12 or 15.

In lieu of that, maybe we could make title fights 13 rounds long just to encourage fewer draws.

Answer 7

Yes it would be good for the fans but too dangerous for the boxers. Even if back in the day fighters went 15 rounds they did pay for it later in life.

Answer 8

I see much more downside than upside from an additional 3 rounds.  I think 12 rounds is long enough to bring out the best that boxing has to offer -- skill, stamina, heart, endurance.  Another 3 rounds just puts the fighters' lives at much greater risk -- as the punches continue to accumulate while the boxers are least able to protect themselves.  Studies had shown that most fatal injuries in the sport occurred between rounds 12-15, which is what caused the reduction in rounds.  I say leave it at 12.

Answer 9

I agree with Woody. There's guy can barley make 10 today. I think those guy's back in the days, had better stamina than today. Not taking away from these guy's today. You have to ask yourself. How many guy's in boxing can go 12, still look good for 5 more and you talk about 15? I would be good with 13.

Answer 10

Could you imagine the last Klitschko fight going 15?  How about B-Hop Calzaghe going another 3?

In theory, its a tremendous idea, but the reality is- it is simply not a good idea.

Do you think Ali would have parkinson's if he never fought a 15 rounder?  Perhaps Smokin Joe Frazier would be easier to understand if he had never put himself through some of the longer fights he was in.

These days you have folks like Evander Holyfield who has never been past 12 rounds who is still articulate and his body is in good shape.  Others that have benefitted from 12 round fights are ODLH, BHop, RJJ- all of these fighters have fought fewer and shorter fights than past greats, and they have the health and brains to have very successful post-fight careers.

As for the draws... do a bit of homework.  You will find that there are fewer draws now than before- I know its hard to fathom, but the numbers bear me out.  It likely has a lot to do with the number of knockdowns recorded in a fight is much more likely to be an odd than an even number.

Fights with different outcomes-

JC would have won a UD over BHop instead of an SD

Monte Barrett would have ended the life of 'Baby' Joe Mesi

PacMan would have lost BOTH fights against Marquez

I think most of the SDs of the past 20+ years would be UDs, and quite possibly there would have been far fewer heavyweight fights going to the scorecards.

Answer 11

Good question. I hope that next time when people consider the Greatest Boxing Champions of all time and hypothetical matches they keep in mind just how many fights would have the surety of their choice of winner's chances being capable of being thrown smooth out the window.

Answer 12

I'm OK  with 12 rounds of boxing, is long enough ....