Should Boxing move weigh-ins to the day of the fight?

[caldo2025]

This has become a hot topic in Boxing recently and I think that it's a matter of time before Boxing officially moves the weigh-in to the day of the fight. Boxing has to wait for the right time to do it and make sure none of their top stars are negatively affected by it but it's bound to happen and i'm wondering how it will affect the sport.

I think that this will force guys like Chavez Junior to fight in the weight class they're more suited for. There's no way Jr. would be able to suck down to 165 and rehydrate to 195 the day of the fight like he has been doing with the day before weight ins. Nowadays, these boxers make weight and then immediately get an IV in their arm and by the sound of the bell the next day, they are no worse for wear.

What do you think? Will this be good for boxing or will it affect the product in the ring come fight night?

[SNG]

It would be great for boxing if men of the same weight class were fighting each other, and not having fighters boiling down and gaining 10+ pounds before the fight. But, same day weigh ins won't stop fighters boiling down and will just make fights far more dangerous if you ask me. If anything weigh in should be further out to give fighters proper time to rehydrate.

[JCS]

This one pops up about once a month and it is still not a good idea.

You know what they say.. When in Rome..

[ikorolev]

No, but there should be a rehydration limit.

[Shirow]

The IBF have a 10lb rehydration limit now don't they? But that is for all weight classes and will benefit a flyweight much more than a cruiser.

I don't see why you can't have the rehydration limit set at anything up to the next weight category limit. So middleweights can rehydrate to 167.99 or lower.
I think this makes sense and even casual fans can easily understand it. If a fighter rehydrates too much treat it just like a a missing weight now - can't win a title, fighter who made weight is not obliged to fight, fine deducted from purse etc. Just bigger fines than now.
I'd like to think all trainers would realise not being able to rehydrate fully is more of a disadvantage than being naturally bigger but dehydrated is an advantage.

The 3 big sanctioning bodies have started to co-operate so If the all announced today that this would be policy from 1 Jan 2016 it wouldn't interrupt anyone's training camp and each boxer's team would have time to rethink which weight they should fight at.

[AntonS]

IMHO, 24 hour weigh-in created a monster

[SNG]

- Fegusg (or probably Rovey) types in the most irritating way = True.

[tiny_acres]

I would just like to see a percentage for a rehydration clause in all fights.
I am thinking 5%.

[ikorolev]

I would just like to see a percentage for a rehydration clause in all fights.
I am thinking 5%.

Which I think exactly matches WBC 7-day limit. It would be great if they and other ABC orgs had it as a rehydration limit.

[AntonS]

IMHO, 24 hour weigh-in created a monster

• 24-hour weigh-in introduced for safety reasons = True
• 24-hour weigh-in's have made the sport safer = Unknown
• Rehydration weight gain a serious problem = True
• Ignorance of weight issue awareness amongst fight fans = True
• The situation will addressed eventually = False

Weight is easily lost by body fluid, compliments of medication in no time at all. However, how does one replenish fluid that cushions brain from scull within 24+ without a screw-top head ??

[tiny_acres]

I always wondered which fighters in history would of been a weight division or 2 lower with
24 hour weigh ins.
Would Hagler have been a welterweight?
Would Leonard of been a Jr.welterwight?

[AntonS]

Great stuff mate, albeit full of shite

[AntonS]

Glad ya appreciate Slovene/Aussie sense of humour

[Badhusker]

The safety reason could easily be taken care of if they limit weight reduction via annual body fat tests. If they drop too much weight it can be dangerous.
Allowing more hydration time because they are not smart enough to limit weight reduction to a safe body fat level speaks volumes, and shows they need restrictions on the amount of weight loss.

[KBB]

yes

[caldo2025]

I know that no one likes the Al Bundy sports stories but I wrestled in College and have TOO MUCH experience with sucking weight, almost dying a couple times. In college meets we would have to weigh in the day of those matches and it was brutal. My energy level was pathetic no matter how well I rehydrated. I'd be fine for the first period but if i didn't pin my opponent early, it was a struggle.

In the national championships though, we got to weight in the day before and the difference in energy level and strength was ridiculous. I would weight in at 135lbs on Friday and hit 160 the next day each year. You think it's hard to do but it's not. Most of it is water weight and that's the first thing you turn to after depriving your body of it for a week while working out. Very little of it was actual food. I didn't even care about food, i just had to have that water.

Not proud of it as i'm sure my organs are gonna come flying out of my body at any minute but just my two cents from related experience with the dangers of weight loss in sports. I tried Boxing and i can say that Boxing is SO much tougher to do than wrestling. Boxing was too tough for me. I don't know how these people can go 12 rounds after losing that kind of weight. Amazing athletes.

[TheWigwam]

Having flyweights weighing in at 200lbs on fight night is frustrating, but far preferable to having fighters dying because they go in the ring looking like Daniel Geale at the Cotto weigh in!

[Ricky_]

No way should they return.

Massive draining has become a by-product of the day-before weigh-ins and is a problem, but it can be rectified in other ways.

You need to understand why it was removed in the first place.

Think of the lower level guys, the guys fighting at journeymen level. Alot of these guys in the lower echelons of the sport are being called in to fight at very short notice, a lot of stand-in's etc. Much of the time they are facing and up & coming guy who is only going to fight on their terms (ie, not fighting a guy who has 20lb on them) so these guys have to make weight, or they don't get a paycheque.

Much of these guys literally starve themselves for days to make weight and to get that paycheque, even knowing they're probably going to take a beating in a mismtached fight.

The 24-hour weigh-in is much safer, because without it, these guys would simply do the same and actually fight in their starving, dehydrated state. The day-before weigh-in's is literally saving guys from death or serious injury.

In terms of guys abusing the system and bloating up from the moment the step off the scales, we need better use of the 90-day, 30-day, etc weigh-ins, making sure all fighters are getting down in the right way. Stepping on the scales before gloving up should also be a requirement, with a 3 strike rule, so let's say Middleweight has a 18lb rehydration limit, if a guy rehydrates to over 178lb 3 times, the commission should force him to move up in weight.

[Freedom2013]

Yes, most definitely.

[hoagylt]

Yes,yes and yes.Day before is B/S.

[Cutman Scabbers]

No way should they return.

Massive draining has become a by-product of the day-before weigh-ins and is a problem, but it can be rectified in other ways.

You need to understand why it was removed in the first place.

Think of the lower level guys, the guys fighting at journeymen level. Alot of these guys in the lower echelons of the sport are being called in to fight at very short notice, a lot of stand-in's etc. Much of the time they are facing and up & coming guy who is only going to fight on their terms (ie, not fighting a guy who has 20lb on them) so these guys have to make weight, or they don't get a paycheque.

Much of these guys literally starve themselves for days to make weight and to get that paycheque, even knowing they're probably going to take a beating in a mismtached fight.

The 24-hour weigh-in is much safer, because without it, these guys would simply do the same and actually fight in their starving, dehydrated state. The day-before weigh-in's is literally saving guys from death or serious injury.

In terms of guys abusing the system and bloating up from the moment the step off the scales, we need better use of the 90-day, 30-day, etc weigh-ins, making sure all fighters are getting down in the right way. Stepping on the scales before gloving up should also be a requirement, with a 3 strike rule, so let's say Middleweight has a 18lb rehydration limit, if a guy rehydrates to over 178lb 3 times, the commission should force him to move up in weight.

In that case why don't we have the weigh-in a week before the fight, with rehydration (weight gain) limits?

[Evander]

Same day weigh in's are a no brainer and should have been done years ago.
I'm all for it, lets move forward and improve the sport and stop living in the past.
You don't make weight, you don't fight, you don't get paid and good luck selling yourself to the networks in the future.
If you're a Welterweight, weigh in at Welterweight.
You can't make 147 then box at 154 and weigh in there.
Someone do something about this it's ludicrous what they have been getting away with, it's long overdo.
How we have put up with one boxer outweighing another by 5,10,15+ pounds for years on the night is shocking.
Yes we all know that some boxers will not make weight and we'll have to sacrifice a fight or two or the night we have all been waiting to see, then so be it if that's what it takes to right a wrong.

[Ricky_]

Same day weigh in's are a no brainer and should have been done years ago.
I'm all for it, lets move forward and improve the sport and stop living in the past.
You don't make weight, you don't fight, you don't get paid .

Exactly why guys sit in a sauna for a few days then probably die in the ring.

[hurricanemitch14]

No ........but there should be x amount of weight a fighter should be able to put on over night.

[Ricky_]

No way should they return.

Massive draining has become a by-product of the day-before weigh-ins and is a problem, but it can be rectified in other ways.

You need to understand why it was removed in the first place.

Think of the lower level guys, the guys fighting at journeymen level. Alot of these guys in the lower echelons of the sport are being called in to fight at very short notice, a lot of stand-in's etc. Much of the time they are facing and up & coming guy who is only going to fight on their terms (ie, not fighting a guy who has 20lb on them) so these guys have to make weight, or they don't get a paycheque.

Much of these guys literally starve themselves for days to make weight and to get that paycheque, even knowing they're probably going to take a beating in a mismtached fight.

The 24-hour weigh-in is much safer, because without it, these guys would simply do the same and actually fight in their starving, dehydrated state. The day-before weigh-in's is literally saving guys from death or serious injury.

In terms of guys abusing the system and bloating up from the moment the step off the scales, we need better use of the 90-day, 30-day, etc weigh-ins, making sure all fighters are getting down in the right way. Stepping on the scales before gloving up should also be a requirement, with a 3 strike rule, so let's say Middleweight has a 18lb rehydration limit, if a guy rehydrates to over 178lb 3 times, the commission should force him to move up in weight.

In that case why don't we have the weigh-in a week before the fight, with rehydration (weight gain) limits?

Need some kind of system like that yes, but the sport at lower levels isn't all that sophisticated or well funded. "Rehydration" limits are difficult to implement fairly too as some people hold more water weight than others.

I think the simplest way to implement it would be multiple weigh ins leading up to the day-before weigh in, commissions should consult doctors and nutritionists on what the weights should be, for example if a middleweight is being weighed 7 days out what is a safe weight at this stage considering the fighter must make 160 in a weeks time.