The rehydration clause in Gervonta Davis-Ryan Garcia’s contract may not be a factor in Saturday’s fight in Las Vegas.
That’s how Joe Goossen sees it. The Garcia’s Hall of Fame coach believes that the 10-pound limit that 24-year-old athletes are allowed to hit between Friday afternoon and match morning should have no adverse effects on the athlete. sponsored by him.
The boxers agreed to a catch of 136 pounds, one more than the light limit, even though Garcia has competed at 140 in his last two bouts.
“Ten pounds? That’s a lot of weight to put on,” Goossen told me and Kenneth Bouhairie on The PBC Podcast. “36 to 46? It’s a wonderful thing. And after 10 o’clock [on Saturday] he can eat and drink more.
“… So the problem is? No problem.”
I couldn’t respect Goossen more but I’m not 100% convinced.
The reason the weight is transferred from the day of the match to the day before is not complicated. Boxers drain vital fluids and nutrients in their training camp weight loss efforts. They need time to replenish.
Garcia will have time but he will also have to limit his intake of food until after his second weigh-in on Saturday morning, according to his agreement with Davis. Maybe it won’t be a problem for him, maybe it will.
The point is that all fighters should be allowed to add naturally, without restriction, so that they have the best chance of getting into the ring at their best. Otherwise, they are gambling unnecessarily with their health and performance.
Some would defend Davis by pointing out that boxers that put too much weight between weight and fight expose their opponents to undue risk.
I always think about the Arturo Gatti-Joey Gamache fight back in 2000, where Gatti gained an unfathomable 19 pounds in a 140-pound fight and 15 pounds more than Gamache at the time of the fight. No surprise: Gatti scored a particularly brutal knockout goal.
It’s a fair argument but I believe the opportunity to supplement without limitations is more important than the ability to gain weight. After all, all boxers gain weight, and disparities from Gatti-Gamache are uncommon.
In Davis-Garcia’s case, the 136-pound weight gave Davis the edge. To add a second advantage – rehydration provision – I find it unfair.
Plus, it makes Davis look bad. If he is as great as he is and many others believe he is, why does he need to take Garcia down?
Instead, he could have followed the lead of Canelo Alvarez. The 168-pound champion is determined to take on 175th Dmitry Bivol in their rematch because he wants to prove that he can climb that mountain without the aid of unreasonable restrictions on his body. light heavyweight champion.
A Davis victory would have made more sense to me without the catch and rehydration weight provisions, especially since Davis fought — and won — in the 140-pound weight class. It was no foreign territory for him.
I don’t want to be too harsh on Davis. Limiting rehydration is common in boxing for the reason outlined above; the officials didn’t want another Gatti-Gamache.
And this item may turn out to be nothing to discuss. Goossen may be right. He spends all day with Garcia; he knows his fighter. Let’s hope that’s the case. Ideally, both fighters will be at 100% when they step over the rope.
However, if Garcia doesn’t perform well, if he gets weaker in teamfights, I wonder if rehydration limitations play any role. That detracts from another great game.
