Nutrition in Combat Sports

11 Professional Athlete 175
11.2 Weigh-ins
The weigh-in for professional athletes is typically conducted 24 h before the event.
Many disagree as to the timing of the weigh-in. Historically in boxing, the weigh-in
took place the day of the fight. A fighter would weigh-in, sip a cup of water, and
then enter the ring. However, fighters used to fight several times a month, and had
little time to gain large amounts of weight between bouts.
By having the weigh-in the day of the fight, the fighters came to the event so dehydrated
and weak that they were not at their best mentally or physically. In only 6–8 h, a
fighter could replace a significant amount of free water, but that period of time did not
give the body enough hours to address cellular problems or intracellular electrolyte and
ion imbalance. In the mid-1980s, one of the authors (EH) and the state of Nevada, USA,
spearheaded an effort to change the weigh-in to the day before the event in an effort to
educate promoters, managers, trainers, and fighters about the dangers of dehydration.
Although this change has become the norm, the current situation is far from safe.
Fighters now fight less often in their career, and the number of weight classes
has increased. As a result, the well-intentioned change in the timing of the weigh-in
has resulted in an unfair advantage to many. In many instances, the weigh-in can
actually take place up to 30 h ahead of a bout due to television and economic interests.
Instead of fighters simply gaining excess fluid, they are actually gaining body
weight. Certain weight classes are more profitable and garner more attention and
television exposure. Contracts are no longer signed for the fighter’s optimal condition,
but for their optimal earning power . As a result, more and more fighters
compete in weight classes where they do not belong, and, when that is combined
with an available television date, poor dietary habits between fights, and inadequate
conditioning, fighters frequently appear at the weigh-in extremely dehydrated.
Ring physicians have grown accustomed to overlooking fighters presenting to
the weigh-in dehydrated. The correct action would be to not clear the athlete.
However, just as pressures exist for athletes, pressures exist for commissions and
physicians overseeing these events to allow a fight to take place unless a significant
medical disability can be proved. Unlike most amateur events, cancellation of a
card or even one bout can result in significant financial repercussions. Professional
fights are big business, and no commission will lose sight of this fact.
The seriousness of dehydration among athletes cannot be underestimated. In the
mid-1990s, three wrestling deaths occurred very close to each other: each was
linked to dehydration. As a result, the National Collegiate Athletic Association
changed their weigh-in policy from the day before, to the day of the contest. Since
doing so, there have been no deaths.
There are countless arguments and issues on both sides. The truth is that, for a
well-conditioned athlete, the timing of the weigh-in should not matter. Recently, a
few US jurisdictions began requiring athletes to submit documented weights from
a physician 30 days, and 7 days before a contest in order to prevent them from
dehydrating themselves too close to fight time. Hopefully, this places the burden on
the fighters to compete in an appropriate weight class.