CSAC To Cancel Bouts if Fighter is 15% Over Contracted Weight

[Ruthless-RKO]

One of the most prominent combat sports regulatory bodies in the world is trying to change and improve extreme weight cutting tactics.

The California State Athletic Commission passed a rule Tuesday indicating that they’ll cancel a boxing or MMA match if any fighter weighs more than 15% above the contracted fight weight on the day of the event.

The CSAC voted 5-0 during a meeting at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, and the adoption of rules around dehydration and rehydration will officially be in place sometime in 2020.

The CSAC culled data from thousands of combat sports athletes, and the new 15% rule impacts MMA fighters more than it does boxers — 9 out of 574 of boxing matches (.015%), and 28 out of 274 MMA fights (9.7%) in the state would have been canceled from January to October 2019 under this new rule.

“As regulators, we’re in charge of the sport. We’re trying to keep a very dangerous sport as safe as we can. We need to create a better playing field where fighters have a limit,” CSAC executive director Andy Foster told BS.com. “The CSAC said today that ‘enough is enough. This is getting out of hand.’ The state of California is taking this seriously and this commission wants fighters to be safe.

“Fifteen percent is such a giant number that fighters will hardly be affected by this. But it will tell the promoters, matchmakers and the fighters that you have some risk now of the fight not happening. This is a problem that can be fixed with a pen, and we have allowed for a culture to be created, and it’s perpetuated a dangerous practice.”

While every fighter rehydrates differently in a 24-hour span because their body is not built the same, the CSAC is hoping the fear of cancellation will help shape better tactics and even refrain fighters from undergoing another potential weight cut during the day of their fights. Foster said they also want promoters to better match fighters near their natural weight classes, even preferring catchweights rather than actual divisions if a fighter's weight calls for it.

“We’re not trying to mess up anybody’s fights. At least now, there is a limit,” said Foster, noting that the CSAC allows both parties to adjust contracts all the way up until the weigh-in. “Gaining that kind of weight back puts fighters and their opponents at danger. It’s just not appropriate when a fighter goes up several weight classes [after the weigh-in].”

In May 2017, the CSAC introduced a 10-point plan against weight cutting. Foster said that once boxer Danny O'Connor collapsed trying to make weight for the Jose Ramirez fight in July 2018, and was hospitalized due to dehydration symptoms, they put this measure on their radar again.

During UFC 241 in August, three fights would have been canceled under the new rule because Sodiq Yusuff, Manny Bermudez and Sabina Mazo each gained back more than 15% of their weight hours before their respective matches.

Foster said the CSAC has formulated another regulation package that calls for more frequent MRIs and various other requirements as part of the testing battery.

“This weight cutting is a health and safety issue that boxing needs to improve,” said Foster. “It’s dangerous and its unhealthy. The CSAC has taken steps over the last several years to address those issues. More needs to be done.”

California hosted 118 boxing cards last year, more than Nevada, Texas, New York and New Jersey combined, the Assn. of Boxing Commissions reported in February. Now, it’s using its powerful position to introduce better rules to govern the safety of combat sports.

By Manouk Akopyan

[Ruthless-RKO]

How much will 15% really help?

Is percentage better than being certain pounds over?

We know IBF have the 10 pound rule.. I take it percent may be better??

EO where are you?

[Enlightened-One]

How much will 15% really help?

Is percentage better than being certain pounds over?

We know IBF have the 10 pound rule.. I take it percent may be better??

EO where are you?

The IBF has a second-day weigh-in rule that forbids fighters weighing more than 10lbs the official weight limit on morning-of-the-fight. However, this rule is not implemented for title unification bouts.

I feel that this is an ill-conceived rule, whereby the IBF forces fighters weighing 200lbs to have the same rehydration allowance as a man weighing 125lbs.

The WBC has a percentage-based rule, whereby fighters can’t weigh more than 10% of the official weight limit 30-days before the bout, with this limit being gradually decremented closer to the fight date (i.e. 5% limit at 14-days and 3% at 7 days prior to the date of the contest).

In addition to this rule, the WBC also has an additional stipulation whereby fighters are weighed immediately before the bout (in the dressing room within the arena) and must not weigh more than 10% of the official division limit.

I believe the WBA has a rule whereby a fighter cannot be more than 5% overweight 5 days before a fight.

I couldn’t find any rehydration/weight gain mandatory stipulations within the WBO’s official rules and regulations.

Anyway, the CSAC’s 15% rule would only be applied to boxing bouts within California that are outside the jurisdiction of the WBC and the IBF.

One of the problems with the CASC’s rule, is that it’s far too generous. For instance, it allows middleweights to weigh 184lbs on the morning of the bout and still gain even more weight afterwards due to rehydration, without contravening any of the commissions mandatory stipulations.

Put it this way, a giant for his weight division, like Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, wouldn’t have been affected by the CSAC’s new rule if it had been applied during his middleweight title-reign, because he would have been far lighter than 184lbs on the morning of his bouts against the likes of John Duddy, Billy Lyell, Sebastian Zbik, Peter Manfredo Jr. and Marco Antonio Rubio.

Another way of looking at the CSAC’s new rule, is that it would allow a cruiserweight to weigh 230lbs on the morning of their fight, whilst allowing them to gain even more weight due to rehydration by the time they enter the ring.

A welterweight would only need to weigh 169lbs or less on the morning of the fight? How many 147lb-ers are likely to be affected by that? Even the giants of that division usually rehydrate to no more than 165lbs by the time they enter the ring.

[Ruthless-RKO]

How much will 15% really help?

Is percentage better than being certain pounds over?

We know IBF have the 10 pound rule.. I take it percent may be better??

EO where are you?

The IBF has a second-day weigh-in rule that forbids fighters weighing more than 10lbs the official weight limit on morning-of-the-fight. However, this rule is not implemented for title unification bouts.

I feel that this is an ill-conceived rule, whereby the IBF forces fighters weighing 200lbs to have the same rehydration allowance as a man weighing 125lbs.

The WBC has a percentage-based rule, whereby fighters can’t weigh more than 10% of the official weight limit 30-days before the bout, with this limit being gradually decremented closer to the fight date (i.e. 5% limit at 14-days and 3% at 7 days prior to the date of the contest).

In addition to this rule, the WBC also has an additional stipulation whereby fighters are weighed immediately before the bout (in the dressing room within the arena) and must not weigh more than 10% of the official division limit.

I believe the WBA has a rule whereby a fighter cannot be more than 5% overweight 5 days before a fight.

I couldn’t find any rehydration/weight gain mandatory stipulations within the WBO’s official rules and regulations.

Anyway, the CSAC’s 15% rule would only be applied to boxing bouts within California that are outside the jurisdiction of the WBC and the IBF.

One of the problems with the CASC’s rule, is that it’s far too generous. For instance, it allows middleweights to weigh 184lbs on the morning of the bout and still gain even more weight afterwards due to rehydration, without contravening any of the commissions mandatory stipulations.

Put it this way, a giant for his weight division, like Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, wouldn’t have been affected by the CSAC’s new rule if it had been applied during his middleweight title-reign, because he would have been far lighter than 184lbs on the morning of his bouts against the likes of John Duddy, Billy Lyell, Sebastian Zbik, Peter Manfredo Jr. and Marco Antonio Rubio.

Another way of looking at the CSAC’s new rule, is that it would allow a cruiserweight to weigh 230lbs on the morning of their fight, whilst allowing them to gain even more weight due to rehydration by the time they enter the ring.

Cheers for that. Much appreciated.