Many fans wonder what happens if a fighter misses weight for a professional boxing match.
Do they cancel the fight that people have been anticipating for months? Or do the promoters and regulatory bodies let it slide and let the show go on?
This article will discuss what happens if you don’t make weight in boxing and how boxers can lose weight fast.
What Happens If A Fighter Misses Weight?
If a fighter misses weight, he faces these potential consequences:
- Cancelled Fight
- Monetary Fine
- Title Forfeit
For non-title fights, the fighter faces the first two consequences.
For title fights, the governing body will cancel the fight even if both fighters have been training nonstop for months.
Cancelled Fight
First, a fighter who doesn’t make weight faces a cancelled fight.
Sometimes professional fighters who missed weight will get two hours to make the limit since there is a lot at stake.
If they don’t make weight within this grace period, they won’t be allowed to fight.
For example, Andres Gutierrez failed to make weight for a 130 lb weigh in for one of his fights, instead showing up at 141 lbs.
For regular people, 11 pounds doesn’t seem much of a difference, but in the boxing world, this is a division hop.
There was no way he would lose the extra weight in two hours, so the fight was cancelled.
Monetary Fine
Next, a fighter who doesn’t make weight faces a monetary fine.
This can include:
- Covering your opponent’s and promoter expenses
- Losing a percentage of the purse
- Reducing the post-fight bonus
- Paying a set fee per pound missed
At the higher levels of professional boxing, sometimes the money isn’t a big factor, and boxers choose to miss weight anyway.
For example, after Shakur Stevenson failed to make weight against Robson Conceicao, he had to pay $150,000 to his opponent before the fight could begin.
Title Forfeit
Last, a fighter who doesn’t make weight can forfeit his title.
Even if the fighter who missed weight wins the professional title fight, his title is still voided.
We can use Shakur Stevenson and his lightweight title as an example.
Even though Stevenson won the lightweight championship against Robson Conceicao, his world title was declared vacant because he didn’t make weight for this fight.
The WBO and WBC declared that the title would remain vacant for that specified weight class, regardless of the fight’s outcome. According to BoxRec, this title remained vacant until Emanuel Navarrete claimed it over Liam Wilson in February 2023.
How Do Boxers Lose Weight Fast?
Boxers can lose weight fast to make the required weight by:
- Dehydration
- Diet Restrictions
- Sweating More
Every boxer knows that gaining weight is easier than losing weight. All they have to do is eat more calories, drink more water, and exercise less.
However, losing weight is a difficult task, especially during a short timeframe.
It’s dangerous to use these techniques for a fight two weeks out when combined with intense training. A boxer who uses these techniques to meet a lower weight class will usually have less energy on fight night.
Because of this many fighters would rather face the problem of maintaining weight than cutting weight.
Dehydration
First, boxers lose weight fast by dehydration.
This helps with weight cutting by removing water weight.
Some boxers even chew gum and spit continuously in order to remove as much water from their body as possible.
After a boxer makes a specific weight in the morning weigh in window, he can gain the weight back if there is no rehydration clause.
Diet Restrictions
Next, boxers lose weight fast by putting themselves on diet restrictions.
They reduce their calorie intake and continue training to lose weight over a long period.
Unlike dehydration, this strategy won’t help them drastically lose or gain weight overnight.
Sweating More
Last, boxers lose weight fast by sweating more.
They can either use a sauna suit while training or sit in a hypotonic bath to force themselves to sweat.
When considered with dehydration, you can see why this is a dangerous strategy to execute on such short notice.
Conclusion
Fighters in other combat sports with similar weight classes face the same issues.
It’s a little ridiculous to think that a fighter trains for months only to have the whole event cancelled because of a few pounds.
These ideas are important for catchweight fights, where boxers are fighting outside of their division weight limits.
While the lighter boxer has to maintain or gain weight, the heavier boxer has to use the strategies above in order to make the weight limit negotiated between the two fighters.
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