Edwards: Until people know the time of second weigh-in for Tank vs Garcia, no one should argue
Stephen ‘Breadman’ Edwards explains why the timing of a second weigh-in is much more important than a rehydration limit in and of itself.
During a conversation with Fight Hype, trainer Stephen ‘Breadman’ Edwards breaks down the nature of weigh-ins and rehydration clauses, particularly with a lot of people talking about the one set in Ryan Garcia’s upcoming fight with Gervonta Davis. Edwards says the timing of the second weigh-in is really the one biggest factor that many people don’t realize, because that ultimately determines how much a fighter will be able to rehydrate by fight time.
“I’ve had guys fight for the IBF belt and what happens is you weigh-in that morning, you can be within 10 pounds of the weigh-in weight,” Edwards said. “So if you fight at 154 you have to be 164 by the next morning. I don’t know all the parameters of the Tank vs Ryan, that fight don’t have anything to do with me. I just know they’re fighting at 136 and I heard it’s a 10 pound rehydration clause.
“But the most important thing is what time that you have to weigh-in. I think people love to fight and argue without finding out all the facts. So I really don’t have an opinion of that because if Ryan gets to weigh-in 146 the morning of the fight, he has all day to rehydrate. So he can come into the ring at 155 or 154 and be fine.
“It’s the weight that you get into the ring at, that’s the most important weight. The weigh-in weight is all artificial. Caleb Plant is 168 for literally about an hour of his life. All he does is just make the weight real quick and start drinking and get right back. I’m sure David who’s bigger than him does the same thing.
“So 168 don’t really mean nothing, it’s what you get in the ring. Obviously you have to make weight for your fight and rehydration is super important, but the time that you have to weigh-in is the most important thing. So until anybody knows what time Ryan and Tank have to do their rehydration clause agreement, it really doesn’t make any sense to argue about it. Because if Ryan has to weigh-in at 146 at 8 in the morning, he’s good — they don’t fight until 12, 13 hours later.
“Now if he gotta weigh-in six or seven o’clock in the evening, that’s different, then he could be compromised because you don’t get the water on your brain, it affects you taking a punch. You don’t want your brain rattling up against your skull with no water or nothing to protect it.”