Why is weigh-in the day before the fight?

[Stickman]

The ***** of it is, people are still dying because they further try to cheat the odds without properly knowing how to go about it.

I've read that in the 1940's there were 60,000 registered professional boxers (from the book "Charley Burley and the black murderers row"), where as today there are something like 2,000. I would bet percentage wise there are more deaths today than back then. IF that is true I believe it it because fighters fight so much less now, than then. This is amature guess work on my part, but I think it traumatizes a body more to go thru the rigors of severe weight loss less often. Almost as if it doing it more it builds a tolerance. Like I said though, this is guess work at best and by no means am I stating it as fact. Either way boxing would be better of and more legitimate if we had same day weigh ins. Jmo.

I don't have a real problem with weigh-ins the day before the fight, but it does cause problems (if a guy is tall and slender, he has a harder time dropping weight than someone who's more compact, for example), and offhand, I really can't think of a viable solution to those problems. You can't really start using height/reach as part of a weight class qualifier, or age (the older you get, the bigger you tend to get), as things would get too complicated and end up being more screwed up than they are already.

Things are probably better left as they are.

[RodBarker]

I dont think so.

If I was a fighter I would rather enter the ring 2 weight classes higher being hydrated and fight a bigger guy badly dehydrated.

Think De La Hoya-Pacquiao.

Now say sorry, because the post you made didn't make sense.

Try again.

Exactly right , a fighter is far better of being wrong on the heavy side of his personal ideal than being wrong on the light sight , when you go under your threshold you are really hurting your strength and stamina .

A couple of other points worth noting is , not all fighters can lose the same amount , that depends on many things from muscle density to fat% , even bone density has an effect on the bodys fluid volume even skin thickness has a role , good trainers know there fighters well in these areas , a good trainer can look at his fighter workout and train and know where he wants him weight wise , nailing the weight right is a big advantage over somebody that gets in wrong .

An average fluid loss amount for most fighters is about 12 pounds , a bit less for little guys and a bit more for the bigger guys .

Drying out to cut weight is of no benefit to the fighter at all other than allowing him to compete in a lower weight class than his natural best fighting weight would allow ,,, because of the 30hrs to rehydrate trainers use this to allow them to push the limits and hypo dry as to just scrap into a lower weight class and then use the 30hrs to balloon back up to there best fighting weight , effectively being as big as they can be in the fight , now if the opponent is not drying out to make weight it means they are smaller naturally and will be at a big disadvantage giving away 12lbs min in real weight during the fight .

How much you push the limits of drying out great depends on the style and quality of fighter you have , a rule of thumb is if they are not real talented but tough you want them as big as you can get them in the fight , if they have a lot of ability you can afford to be a little heavy and give up some size ,

Cutting weight can be a huge advantage when done perfectly for a particulate fighter , it can also cook you goose like nothing else , the trying for perfection is pushing some very fine limits , Oscar was a perfect example of blowing his entire training over that last week and in particular that last 72 hrs coming down and 36hrs going back again .

This subject will come up more and more on the board and so it should for how can you judge the performance of a fighter on the night accurately without having a understanding of weight , to the point a fighter is giving away 16 pounds people are not even aware that it occurred let alone what it ment to the performances of the fighters .

[JAB5239]

I don't have a real problem with weigh-ins the day before the fight, but it does cause problems (if a guy is tall and slender, he has a harder time dropping weight than someone who's more compact, for example), and offhand, I really can't think of a viable solution to those problems. You can't really start using height/reach as part of a weight class qualifier, or age (the older you get, the bigger you tend to get), as things would get too complicated and end up being more screwed up than they are already.

Things are probably better left as they are.

This was probably said too when discussions first began to have day before weigh ins.

If there really that many more fighters before fighting professionaly and the percentage of deaths compared than to now was lower, I think we need to go back. You also have to take into consideration that guys were fighting more rounds and with smaller gloves back then too. Both these things have been nixed and we're still having deaths. If thats going to happen anyway, lets at least make it as fair as possible.

[RodBarker]

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This was probably said too when discussions first began to have day before weigh ins.

If there really that many more fighters before fighting professionaly and the percentage of deaths compared than to now was lower, I think we need to go back. You also have to take into consideration that guys were fighting more rounds and with smaller gloves back then too. Both these things have been nixed and we're still having deaths. If thats going to happen anyway, lets at least make it as fair as possible.

I think more deaths is related more to modern fighters being better trained much harder crisper punchers smaller gloves more refined technique , the fighter of today is more of a sharp shooting assassin so to speak than the fighters of yesteryear which were more like tough bruisers than the technicians of today , I dont think 30hr weigh-ins cause more deaths thats like saying tyres are killing more in F1 racing , todays fighter is a F1 athlete and inturn more deadly .

Id like same day weigh-ins just to make the fighters not try to be monsters for the weightclass , really fight at the same weight .

Like you Jab , just a theory

[KO2you]

Du Ku Kim died after a fight with Boom Boom Mancini, many believe because of dehydration, and the extra rounds we don't have now. So, we now have weigh-ins the day before the fight, rather than the day of, and 12 rounds, rather than 15, or even 13.

Incidentally, the ref of the Mancini fight committed suicide, and Mancini was never the same again.

This wasn't the only fight that caused these changes in the sport, just one of the more prominent.

It pains me to hear why this has happened beings I am the best of friends with my friend Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini, although you are very much right.

I have been friends with him for 30 years now we grew up approximately 10 houses apart on the same street back in Youngstown, Ohio. I have never talked about this before not even with Ray, and now this. As much as you hear on this fight the part about him never being the same is so untrue. Ray is very much the same as I have always knew him, he just did not have the same passion for being in the ring. Ray is a very successful person in life and luckily he had a very good manager and did not squander or have his winnings $$$$$ taken away from him. He owns a Cigar company called the El Campeon Cigar Company, he produces movies, minimal acting, and most recently has his own wine now. Ray is on Radio in Chicago www.chicagosportswebio.com from 3pm-6pm Eastern standard time Mon.- Fri. with long time Chicago radio personality, Chet Coppock and the show is called "Chet and the Champ". If the website doesn't come up you can go to my personal page and its the very first message on my page.

Sorry got off the subject, It is also true that is why they changed the fights from 15 rounds to 12 rounds because they found that more tragedy has happened from the 13th to the 15th round in boxing.

It sucks I think that they have weigh in the day before because I believe it still does not give the boxers ample amount of time to re-hydrate. I really believe they need to do it at the least 2 days before the fight.

In regards to the referee Richard Greene committing suicide is true in July 1983. Duk Koo Kim's mother also committed suicide 4 months after the fight.

I just want people to know that what happened on November 13, 1982 could have happened to any fighter as it recently has to a couple of boxers lately. No one should hold Ray responsible for the death of Duk Koo Kim, I know that is not the subject but just want everyone to know who thinks that to know the truth. Ray's love for boxing is still there the passion to box is what left him when this tragedy happened. I am very pleased and honored to enlighten some people on this matter. If you have any questions about Ray just leave me a message on my page and I will be happy and do my best to answer them for you on Ray "Boom Boom Mancini "The Champ".

Also please play the clip I have below its a song about "Boom Boom" by Warren Zevon. Thanks Everyone!!!

[GJC]

I've read that in the 1940's there were 60,000 registered professional boxers (from the book "Charley Burley and the black murderers row"), where as today there are something like 2,000. I would bet percentage wise there are more deaths today than back then. IF that is true I believe it it because fighters fight so much less now, than then. This is amature guess work on my part, but I think it traumatizes a body more to go thru the rigors of severe weight loss less often.

Sadly I think you are right about there being more deaths % wise.
Worrying, considering the medical advances and facilities now in place at boxing matches. You might be right re the severe weight loss certainly would explain the anomoly between more damage and less fights. Also need to consider that there are 3 more rounds and the fact that referees step in far sooner now than in days past. I don't think however that there is any strong will from boxing to do the kind of studys needed so we might never know.

[rizkybizness]

No, losing weight is not a skill.

"Damn Son, look at that boy, losing weight like a motherphucker, Pound 4 Pound baby, pound for pound!"

LMFAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[GJC]

It pains me to hear why this has happened beings I am the best of friends with my friend Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini, although you are very much right.

I have been friends with him for 30 years now we grew up approximately 10 houses apart on the same street back in Youngstown, Ohio. I have never talked about this before not even with Ray, and now this. As much as you hear on this fight the part about him never being the same is so untrue. Ray is very much the same as I have always knew him, he just did not have the same passion for being in the ring. Ray is a very successful person in life and luckily he had a very good manager and did not squander or have his winnings $$$$$ taken away from him. He owns a Cigar company called the El Campeon Cigar Company, he produces movies, minimal acting, and most recently has his own wine now. Ray is on Radio in Chicago www.chicagosportswebio.com from 3pm-6pm Eastern standard time Mon.- Fri. with long time Chicago radio personality, Chet Coppock and the show is called "Chet and the Champ". If the website doesn't come up you can go to my personal page and its the very first message on my page.

Sorry got off the subject, It is also true that is why they changed the fights from 15 rounds to 12 rounds because they found that more tragedy has happened from the 13th to the 15th round in boxing.

It sucks I think that they have weigh in the day before because I believe it still does not give the boxers ample amount of time to re-hydrate. I really believe they need to do it at the least 2 days before the fight.

In regards to the referee Richard Greene committing suicide is true in July 1983. Duk Koo Kim's mother also committed suicide 4 months after the fight.

I just want people to know that what happened on November 13, 1982 could have happened to any fighter as it recently has to a couple of boxers lately. No one should hold Ray responsible for the death of Duk Koo Kim, I know that is not the subject but just want everyone to know who thinks that to know the truth. Ray's love for boxing is still there the passion to box is what left him when this tragedy happened. I am very pleased and honored to enlighten some people on this matter. If you have any questions about Ray just leave me a message on my page and I will be happy and do my best to answer them for you on Ray "Boom Boom Mancini "The Champ".

Also please play the clip I have below its a song about "Boom Boom" by Warren Zevon. Thanks Everyone!!!

Wonderful to hear that Boom Boom is thriving, he was a real 100% fighter and gentlemen.
We hear so many horror stories about boxers after their career is over so it is great to hear good news.

[realinsanepinoy]

A lot of people complain that some boxer rehydrate a lot of weight during the fight . Are they being weigh the same during the fight and the weigh-in before the fight? Or when they are weigh during the fight shoes, robes, gloves are on?

[KnockoutTheFat]

Contrary to popular belief, it wasn't the Duk Koo Kim-Mancini fight that directly led to the weigh-in day change although it played a factor. The main fight that led to the change was a proposed rematch with Michael Spinks vs. Eddie Mustafa Muhammad. Now I say proposed because it was going to happen but then it got cancelled because Muhammad came in overweight during the weigh-in and Spinks wouldn't fight him. That's what led to the change so that we wouldn't have these cancellations on the day of the fight