Pound for pound

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Pound-for-pound is the term used in boxing, mixed martial arts and other combat sports to describe a fighter's value in relation to fighters of different weight classes.

1 Origin of the term
2 Other uses
3 See also
4 References

[edit] Origin of the term

It is often said to have been created to describe world Welterweight and Middleweight champion Sugar Ray Robinson.^[1] Robinson is one of the most accomplished fighters of all time, but his supporters realized that, while he could beat anyone in his own class, as a Middleweight he would not be able to beat a top Heavyweight. Hence, Robinson was called the pound-for-pound best without being expected to beat much larger fighters, under the belief that he as a Middleweight was still a better quality fighter than any fighter fighting at heavier or lighter weights than him.

[edit] Other uses

It can also be used to describe how any two things compare when bearing in mind their varying quantities. For example, a tin of tomatoes weighing 250 g and costing $2.50 is more expensive, pound for pound, than one weighing 500 g and costing $4 (as the former costs $1 per 100 g and the latter $0.8 per 100 g).

The term has also become something of a cliché, as it is now used to describe numerous other things apart from boxing.