Weight Divisions by Lily Priggs
What’s all the fuss about making weight?
Making weight is an important part of boxing. Put simply, people want to fight at their strongest, fittest and lightest, which will always be predetermined by their genetic make-up. Carrying the right amount of muscle mass and fat mass, whilst being at their optimum fitness level on fight night is achieved through a mixture of different types of training, which is periodised throughout a fight camp. There will generally be a thorough strength and conditioning plan; a red zone training element; mobilisation and stretching; boxing skills and sparring and weight management.
Throughout a 10-week fight camp, fighters will be looking to drop excess weight slowly. The final squeeze is draining the body of water for the scales, and then re-hydrating, with no impact on performance.
Below are some tips… amended slightly for people who work full time and aren’t professional boxers! For professionals, lunch time naps and hours of daytime and nighttime rest are very much a massive part of camp that us non-pros don’t have the luxury of!
10 Common Mistakes:
- Starting the cut too late
- Cutting water too early
- Cutting out carbs
- Undereating in general
- Binging on sugar… (normally follows number 4)
- Not drinking enough water
- Over training on cardio
- Not fuelling recovery
- Eating low fat foods
- Jumping on the scales every day
- Good practice weight making tips:
- Be within 10% over your fight weight at the start of camp
- Planning a realistic and smart training schedule
- Planning a menu that supports your training, ensuring you fuel and refuel
- Drinking lots of water and electrolytes
- Early morning fasted walks or gentle runs if you need it
- Maintaining strength training
- Weighing yourself at the same time once a week
- Having a plan for cutting the final kilos in water (2 – 4kg)
- Having a plan for refuelling after the weigh-in
- Women – tracking your cycle
The heavyweight game works slightly differently because there is no weight limit. Boxers need to find a balance between fat mass and muscle. Muscle can be quite restrictive in boxing because it requires more oxygen, so boxers get fatigued very quickly. Whereas a higher fat mass can be restrictive because it’s more ‘dead’ weight to carry around the ring, which may also leave the boxer fatigued. An Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury Conundrum!
In professional boxing, the women and men’s weight categories are the same. Not all sanctioning bodies have belts in all the weights, and categories have different names depending on where you’re fighting.
Atomweight: 7st 4lb 46.3kg
Minimumweight or Mini Flyweight: 7st 7lb 47.6kg
Light Flyweight or Junior Flyweight: 7st 10lb 48.9Kg
Flyweight: 8st 50.8kg
Super Flyweight or Junior Bantamweight: 8st 3lb 52.2kg
Bantamweight: 8st 6lb 53.5kg
Super Bantamweight or Junior Featherweight: 8st 10lb 55.3kg
Featherweight: 9st 57.2kg
Super Featherweight or Junior Lightweight: 9st 4lb 58.9kg
Lightweight: 9st 9lb 61.2kg
Super Lightweight or Junior Welterweight: 10st 63.5kg
Welterweight: 10st 7lb 66.7kg
Super Welterweight or Junior Middleweight: 11st 69.9kg
Middleweight: 11st 6lb 72.6kg
Super Middleweight: 12st 76.2kg
Light Heavyweight: 12st 7lb 79.4kg
Cruiserweight or Junior Heavyweight: 14st 4lb 90.7kg
Heavyweight: >14.4lb >90.7kg
