title: Rapid weight gain in professional boxing and correlation with fight decisions: analysis from 71 title fights.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Boxing is a sport where athletes compete in several weight categories. Professional boxers typically dehydrate to cut their weight for the weigh-in (24 h before the contest) and then rehydrate before the fight. The International Boxing Federation (IBF) mandates a second weigh-in 12 h before the fight. Our objectives were: 1) To quantify the weight gain (WG) from the 1st to the 2nd weigh-in; 2) to investigate whether rapid WG affects boxing performance (win/loss rate) and 3) whether weight discrepancy (WD) 15 between boxers exposes them to increased health risks (rate of fights ended before time limit).
  
  
  METHODS
  From official weigh-in reports of 71 IBF fights (142 fighters) the following data were gathered/calculated for each boxer: age, weight division, 1st weight, 2nd weight, WG between weigh-ins (kg and %), WD between opponents, and fight decision.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Between the weigh-ins, the average WG was 2.52 ± 1.37 kg (range -0.3/6.4 kg) and 3.8 ± 2.2% of the initial body weight (range -0.4/9.3%) and the average WD 1.94 ± 1.50 kg (maximum 7.10 kg). Both WG and WD did not affect match outcomes. We observed tendencies for higher loss rate among boxers gaining more weight, and for higher victory rate in boxers with larger WD, however without reaching significance. A significant negative correlation was found between the 1st weight and the WG, both in absolute (r = -0.278, p = 0.001) and relative value (r = -0.497, p < 0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although correlations between WG, WD and boxing performance were not found, single cases with an alarming high WG and WD were noted.
authors: a Sports Medicine Unit, Internal Medicine and Geriatrics Institute , Catholic University of Sacred Heart , Rome , Italy.
authors: Gianlorenzo
authors: G
authors: Daniele
authors: b Westchester Health Associates , White Plains , NY , USA.
authors: Richard N
authors: RN
authors: Weinstein
authors: c Cedars-Sinai Medical Center , Los Angeles , CA , USA.
authors: Paul Wesley
authors: PW
authors: Wallace
authors: a Sports Medicine Unit, Internal Medicine and Geriatrics Institute , Catholic University of Sacred Heart , Rome , Italy.
authors: Vincenzo
authors: V
authors: Palmieri
authors: a Sports Medicine Unit, Internal Medicine and Geriatrics Institute , Catholic University of Sacred Heart , Rome , Italy.
authors: Massimiliano
authors: M
authors: Bianco
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D056352:Athletes; D054874:Athletic Performance; D001835:Body Weight / Q000502:physiology; D001914:Boxing; D003681:Dehydration / Q000150:complications; D004326:Drinking; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012306:Risk; D012926:Social Control, Formal; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Combat sport; concussion; hydration; martial art; traumatic brain injury