Question: if a boxer is struggling to make weight

i had horrendous trouble making weight for years, and the only reason I didn't move up was because my ranking and the opportunities were at LM. It was that bad Kerry Kayes wanted med to jump two divisions to SM before my last fight, which again I really struggled to make, and it was at 11st 9lb.

Everyone is getting it on the money with the methods, dehydrating, but thats the wrong thing to do obviously. To what extent depends on how much you struggle with it. I'm having my book written at the minute and although its my life story, its also a message about the dangers boxers put themselves in by cutting weight, and how the culture and old fashioned methods of making it need to be adressed and boxers need to be educated about the dangers, and how to do it properly.

Some of the storys about me making weight and what I went through will make you want a glass of water! :good

 

Who are you mate?

 

Just found out your Jamie Moore:good

 

Being ghost written now av so reckon it'll be out in summer. My best weight was LM when I could make it comfortably enough, so that would be up to and including the Macklin fight. I had my 1st shoulder op straight after (1st of 4!!) and after that I really struggled. I feel my best performance was the 1st Jones fight, and I weighed 11st 9lb on fight night.:good

 

I was reading before the Bradley/Alexander fight that Bradley struggles to make 140, he's up around 160 between fights. It really surprised me cause he's only little, even for a LWW.

His problem is he's so little I can't see him having much impact at Welter or LM.

 

A black bin big is the most common I'd say. I have done it and the weight falls of ya.

 

why don't boxers just fight close to their natural weight? or do they just want to have max size advantage by making lower weight?

 

I think the idea is to hit the optimum power/weight ratio for your frame, although I could be wrong. Most of the weight loss is achieved by being incredibly lean. It amazes me that Froch is lighter than me, despite looking a shitload bigger.

 

has last minute sauna excersising been banned?

 

Depends how much you need to cut. Some just go for a run round the block a few times if it's really small.

 

You want to fight in as low a division as you can manage, because if you can shed a load of weight and put it back on then you are fighting at say Middleweight but actually in the ring the size of a super middleweight, so theoretically you should be bigger and stronger than your opponent. However, everybody does it, so you don't get an advantage and you would be at a disadvatage if you didnt do it and your opponents all did.

However if you cut too much weight you put yourself at a disadvantage as the final weekes of your training camp are performed with very little food to fuel your sessions or help you recover, so you end up under performing in training and in the fight.

Dehydration has a massivly negative impact on performance, although with day before weigh ins you have time to rehydrate.

I fight in the amatuers, only time I've had a day before weigh in was when I did Thai boxing. I put on 8lbs in an hour after the weigh in.

Dehydration only works in the last hours/days before a weigh in. I see people training in sweat suits all th etime, but as soon as the drink after training they will replenish that lost fluid so it is pointless. If you deplete your body of carbs in the last few days before a weigh in then you can shift serious weight as the glycogen stores in your muscles is reduced. You don't need the carbs as the training is minimal at this time and you have time to carb up after the weigh in- loads of simple carbs and fluid.

An effective way to lose weight safely is to drink gallons of water per day for about a week, tricking your body and then stopping all fluid intake 24 hours before the weigh in, your body doesn't hold on to the water as it is used to getting so much and you can shift a right few pounds/ half a stone safely.

 

Spot on fella, you know your stuff.:good

 

Yes, I think the rules state that you are not allowed to use artificial weight loss techniques, like saunas, so in effect you have to train it off.:good