BoxRec

I read in the paper this morning how difficult it was for Kell Brook to make the welterweight limit. He even pointed out that there wasn't even fluid left in his eyeballs.
I'm sorry but that type of thing is absolutely ridiculous. We've long moved away from the traditional eight weight classes. The extra weight classes were brought in for this very reason. I could understand a boxer being at his peak weighing 11sts, and not wanting to fight up at middleweight, so struggling to get down to welterweight. That's why light middle was introduced, for example. So why do boxers like Brook injure themselves to get down to a weight they really shouldn't be fighting at? Because with modern nutritional science, they can put 20 pounds on overnight. Meaning they should really be fighting two weights up!!!
The 'day before' weigh ins were introduced to allow boxers to re-hydrate overnight. De-hydrated boxers had lost fluid around their brains, which meant that there wasn't the same 'cushioning ' effect when they were punched.
However, this change has resulted in new dangers , with boxers fighting each other with huge weight differences.
The answer is simple. Weigh-ins not more than 8 hours before the fight starts, and a doctors examination in the dressing room prior to the fight to test hydration levels. Promoters will not like it because title fights may be in jeopardy right up until the weigh in, but it would make boxers/managers/trainers have a re-think.

I agree, if PEDs are banned they dehydrating certainly should be, since they are both risking yourself to get an unfair advantage, but atleast PEDs actually make you better whereas dehydrating is just cheating the weight limits.

Kell should always have been at light middle or above. I can only assume that he thought there were more paydays at welter and he would have the advantage of size on the night although that is a debatable benefit given the privations necessary to make welterweight at weigh in.

dalcumly wrote:I read in the paper this morning how difficult it was for Kell Brook to make the welterweight limit. He even pointed out that there wasn't even fluid left in his eyeballs.
I'm sorry but that type of thing is absolutely ridiculous. We've long moved away from the traditional eight weight classes. The extra weight classes were brought in for this very reason. I could understand a boxer being at his peak weighing 11sts, and not wanting to fight up at middleweight, so struggling to get down to welterweight. That's why light middle was introduced, for example. So why do boxers like Brook injure themselves to get down to a weight they really shouldn't be fighting at? Because with modern nutritional science, they can put 20 pounds on overnight. Meaning they should really be fighting two weights up!!!
The 'day before' weigh ins were introduced to allow boxers to re-hydrate overnight. De-hydrated boxers had lost fluid around their brains, which meant that there wasn't the same 'cushioning ' effect when they were punched.
However, this change has resulted in new dangers , with boxers fighting each other with huge weight differences.
The answer is simple. Weigh-ins not more than 8 hours before the fight starts, and a doctors examination in the dressing room prior to the fight to test hydration levels. Promoters will not like it because title fights may be in jeopardy right up until the weigh in, but it would make boxers/managers/trainers have a re-think.

Good points, excellent post. Day before weigh in's were introduced for safety reasons to stop boxers being dead at the weight on the day of the fight, but boxers will always take advantage and push it to the limit for advantages, so all it as done is allow boxers to come down from higher weights, cut more weight. I thinks boxing should revert back to same day weigh ins, but this time have check weigh in every week of the camp and two in the week leading up to the fight, with limits. This would solve the problem.

Just measure 1 minit before the fight and one minit after, not the day before and never again.

Anzi wrote:

dalcumly wrote:I read in the paper this morning how difficult it was for Kell Brook to make the welterweight limit. He even pointed out that there wasn't even fluid left in his eyeballs.
I'm sorry but that type of thing is absolutely ridiculous. We've long moved away from the traditional eight weight classes. The extra weight classes were brought in for this very reason. I could understand a boxer being at his peak weighing 11sts, and not wanting to fight up at middleweight, so struggling to get down to welterweight. That's why light middle was introduced, for example. So why do boxers like Brook injure themselves to get down to a weight they really shouldn't be fighting at? Because with modern nutritional science, they can put 20 pounds on overnight. Meaning they should really be fighting two weights up!!!
The 'day before' weigh ins were introduced to allow boxers to re-hydrate overnight. De-hydrated boxers had lost fluid around their brains, which meant that there wasn't the same 'cushioning ' effect when they were punched.
However, this change has resulted in new dangers , with boxers fighting each other with huge weight differences.
The answer is simple. Weigh-ins not more than 8 hours before the fight starts, and a doctors examination in the dressing room prior to the fight to test hydration levels. Promoters will not like it because title fights may be in jeopardy right up until the weigh in, but it would make boxers/managers/trainers have a re-think.

Good points, excellent post. Day before weigh in's were introduced for safety reasons to stop boxers being dead at the weight on the day of the fight, but boxers will always take advantage and push it to the limit for advantages, so all it as done is allow boxers to come down from higher weights, cut more weight. I thinks boxing should revert back to same day weigh ins, but this time have check weigh in every week of the camp and two in the week leading up to the fight, with limits. This would solve the problem.

I agree. The situation is ridiculous. Who knows what the long term effects are of major dehydration over and over again? I'm sure it's documented, and I'm sure it's not good, isn't it really bad for your kidneys?

jamesmcdonnell wrote:

Anzi wrote:

dalcumly wrote:I read in the paper this morning how difficult it was for Kell Brook to make the welterweight limit. He even pointed out that there wasn't even fluid left in his eyeballs.
I'm sorry but that type of thing is absolutely ridiculous. We've long moved away from the traditional eight weight classes. The extra weight classes were brought in for this very reason. I could understand a boxer being at his peak weighing 11sts, and not wanting to fight up at middleweight, so struggling to get down to welterweight. That's why light middle was introduced, for example. So why do boxers like Brook injure themselves to get down to a weight they really shouldn't be fighting at? Because with modern nutritional science, they can put 20 pounds on overnight. Meaning they should really be fighting two weights up!!!
The 'day before' weigh ins were introduced to allow boxers to re-hydrate overnight. De-hydrated boxers had lost fluid around their brains, which meant that there wasn't the same 'cushioning ' effect when they were punched.
However, this change has resulted in new dangers , with boxers fighting each other with huge weight differences.
The answer is simple. Weigh-ins not more than 8 hours before the fight starts, and a doctors examination in the dressing room prior to the fight to test hydration levels. Promoters will not like it because title fights may be in jeopardy right up until the weigh in, but it would make boxers/managers/trainers have a re-think.

Good points, excellent post. Day before weigh in's were introduced for safety reasons to stop boxers being dead at the weight on the day of the fight, but boxers will always take advantage and push it to the limit for advantages, so all it as done is allow boxers to come down from higher weights, cut more weight. I thinks boxing should revert back to same day weigh ins, but this time have check weigh in every week of the camp and two in the week leading up to the fight, with limits. This would solve the problem.

I agree. The situation is ridiculous. Who knows what the long term effects are of major dehydration over and over again? I'm sure it's documented, and I'm sure it's not good, isn't it really bad for your kidneys?

that's true mate.

Kell being IBF champ would have to go through check weigh in on the morning of the fight, so even after his weigh in he couldn't rehydrate that much more than he would if they weighed in on the day.

I don't get why a fighter who can make higher weights doesnt

It's all BS.

If he was fighting Jessie Vargas at 147 on Sat, we'd be hearing about how comfortably he is making the 147 limit, how strong he feels etc.

You can't really believe anything fighters say before fights. They are saying what they want the other camp to hear.

TheLeprechaun wrote:It's all BS.

If he was fighting Jessie Vargas at 147 on Sat, we'd be hearing about how comfortably he is making the 147 limit, how strong he feels etc.

You can't really believe anything fighters say before fights. They are saying what they want the other camp to hear.

After say that is true, how many fighters say how strong they are making the weight, then when they lose, change their story.

TheLeprechaun wrote:It's all BS.

If he was fighting Jessie Vargas at 147 on Sat, we'd be hearing about how comfortably he is making the 147 limit, how strong he feels etc.

You can't really believe anything fighters say before fights. They are saying what they want the other camp to hear.

Yes, that is definitely true, believe nothing a fighter says during teaining camp.

brook has always carried too much muscle for me, probably the influence of domonic ingle who is into that kind of thing, get rid of the weights and get skinny and he will be a better fighter for it

littlepug wrote:brook has always carried too much muscle for me, probably the influence of domonic ingle who is into that kind of thing, get rid of the weights and get skinny and he will be a better fighter for it

I thought his arms looked freakishly huge at the public session yesterday! Makes me wonder if his plan is just to steam in early and go for broke. Empty the tank in the first few rounds and if that fails then he's Donald Ducked! He doesn't look like a guy who's trained for 12 hard rounds.

I would say most fighter's walk around between 15-25lbs over fighting weight these days.

TheLeprechaun wrote:It's all BS.

If he was fighting Jessie Vargas at 147 on Sat, we'd be hearing about how comfortably he is making the 147 limit, how strong he feels etc.

You can't really believe anything fighters say before fights. They are saying what they want the other camp to hear.

Exactly, they tell what ever narrative suits their story at that time. David Haye was the opposite he used to moan about how hard he found it to make cruiser and hwo he was only operating at 70% of his ability as he was so weak at the weight and he would be an animal at Heavy weight, then he moved up to heavy weight but only weighed about a stone more for his weigh ins.

Supremo wrote:

TheLeprechaun wrote:It's all BS.

If he was fighting Jessie Vargas at 147 on Sat, we'd be hearing about how comfortably he is making the 147 limit, how strong he feels etc.

You can't really believe anything fighters say before fights. They are saying what they want the other camp to hear.

Exactly, they tell what ever narrative suits their story at that time. David Haye was the opposite he used to moan about how hard he found it to make cruiser and hwo he was only operating at 70% of his ability as he was so weak at the weight and he would be an animal at Heavy weight, then he moved up to heavy weight but only weighed about a stone more for his weigh ins.

And who can forget Cleverly claiming to be a much better, stronger fighter up at Cruiserweight? I'm sure they do feel fine in training, but it's a whole different story on fight night - as we always find out in the post-fight excuses ("Just didn't feel right in there / must have over trained / was carrying an injury / I'm a much better fighter at X-weight etc).