Why do we have this silly weigh in system?

[Helm]

I mean, it pisses me off that a fighter is 146 pounds at the weight in and then fights at his natural weight at 163 pounds under super middleweight....3 divisions above the official weight....its a bull****.

Why don't they weight in before stepping in the ring?

Or why don't they restrict rehydration limit to 3-4 pounds which could be a reasonable, normal and healthy fluctuation in weight of an athlete after training, drinking, eating?

I know that nothing really changes because all pro athletes do the same so they are fighting equal, but is the whole concept that is somehow idiotic. Wouldn't be better if the real categories were respected?

[boliodogs]

The old weigh in system of weighing in about 8 hours before the fight was perfect and never had the problems we have today. It wasn't broke and didn't need fixing. A fighter usually weighed in hungry and thirsty and could be expected to gain no more than a few pounds in 8 hours or they would be water logged and sluggish. A gain of 5 pounds would be about the upper limit a boxer would gain between the weigh in and the fight. Now, with this insane system of weighing in 30 to 36 hours before the fight you have guys weighing in totally dehydrated. Then they go on an IV and can sometimes weigh 20 or more pounds in the ring than they did at the weigh in. You can have a guy make welterweight 147 at the weigh in and then come into the ring as a 177 pound light heavyweight. All they need to do to fix this fuced up system is to return to weighing in about 8 hours before fight time. That worked well for about 100 years until some idiot changed it to weighing in the afternoon a full day BEFORE the fight.

[elfag]

because they used to have different weigh in rules, and guess what, people bent the rules as much as they could in their favor to gain an advantage at the risk of their health. So they change the rules. And people are doing the exact same thing today.

any rules you set, athletes are always going to look for ways around them or to get the closest to them they can. baseball players make custom bats that are within milligrams of the spec. Those are the guys not even cheating, just taking every advantage. Then you got **** like the deflated football. if you tell them it has to be at a certain weight or pressure, they will try to get it as close as possible or even beyond.

[Robbie Barrett]

If you have a limit on the day a fighter may have to dehydrate himself to make it and doesn't have enough time for his body to recover, which leads to an unhealthy fighter in the ring. Which is why is was changed in the first place.

[////]

You would have a lot more deaths if we still did weigh ins right before the fight

This is as close as it can get without putting them in there already half dead

plus the fights would suck

[Deevel916]

If you have a limit on the day a fighter may have to dehydrate himself to make it and doesn't have enough time for his body to recover, which leads to an unhealthy fighter in the ring. Which is why is was changed in the first place.

Then he's an idiot and/or fighting in the wrong weight class.

[SlySlickSmooth]

I'd keep the current system but add a default rehydration limit of 10-15 pounds.

10 pounds really. A 147 fighter being a Middleweight in fight night is odd but normal for this era.

[boliodogs]

You can bend the rules one hell of a lot more in 32 hours than you can in eight hours. I was a fight fan in the same day weigh in days and don't remember any problems or any fighters making a noticeable weight gain in 8 hours. All the problems started when they changed the rules to weighing in the day before the fight. Their were no Chavez type guys back then who made the middleweight limit and then came into the ring weighing over 180 pounds. You can't do that with only 8 hours to work with. It's impossible. If a fighter ***s up their own health trying to gain an advantage then tough **** for them. They are grown men and responsible for their own actions. The rules should not be made to baby sit them. The rules should be fair and the old rules were fair. Today's weigh in rules are just begging to be abused.

[boliodogs]

You would have a lot more deaths if we still did weigh ins right before the fight

This is as close as it can get without putting them in there already half dead

plus the fights would suck

I don't remember all these deaths due to same day weigh ins. What are you basing your statement that we would have more deaths if we still did same day weigh ins on??? Where is the proof of that? Today's system is much more dangerous in my opinion. The fights in the same day weigh in days certainly did not suck. Some of the greatest fights in history happened then. The system wasn't broke then. It's broke NOW.

[Deevel916]

I'd keep the current system but add a default rehydration limit of 10-15 pounds.

10 pounds really. A 147 fighter being a Middleweight in fight night is odd but normal for this era.

It shouldnt be that a WW comes in the ring on fight night weighing what a SWW or MW does. It defeats the entire purpose of weight classes.

I can agree with the rehydration clause but it should be no more than 5-7lbs.

On top of that impose a stiff penalty for those who exceed the 5-7lb rehydration clause. Hurting fighters in their pockets is the only way to get a hold of the current situation where fighters are coming into the ring 2 weight classes above where they're campaigning at.