Reflections from Friday at Sheffield City Hall
Saturday 27 May 2017 23:41, UK
There remain plenty of weight-related questions, despite Kell Brook and Errol Spence Jr acing Friday's weigh-in...
If Kell Brook and Errol Spence Jr have problems with their physiques, the rest of us are in a world of trouble.
Their six-packs did a remarkable job of disguising the potential vulnerabilities that lie within, but Friday's weigh-in could not eradicate fears over both fighters' weights. Boiling down to meet the 10st 7lbs welterweight limit was achieved after an arduous slog over the past few months, but we don't yet know who is more severely depleted.
Brook's difficulties in shrinking himself into the division have been well-documented, yet were exacerbated by his brave choice to compete 13lbs higher against Gennady Golovkin last September. Never mind the result - the repercussions of Brook yo-yoing his belt-size might not be felt until he trades punches on Saturday night.
Brook looks a million dollars, of course, and was described as a mesomorph ('a person whose build is compact and muscular') by his nutritionist Greg Marriott but the threat of danger still lurks. Namely, should Brook need to rely on his endurance - he surely will, against the unbeaten and highly-rated Spence Jr - then he cannot be sure how much gas is in the tank.
It is akin to you or I jogging around the park without having eaten breakfast. If Brook's greatest focus was on beating the scales, it may jeopardise his chances of beating Spence Jr.
The challenger might be in the same boat. "I don't think Errol makes the weight so strongly either," Paulie Malignaggi told Sky Sports. "But when you're younger, you recover better."
Spence Jr is three years younger and his body has been through 15 fewer weight cuts to the welterweight limit. Yet, stood next to Brook on Friday, he was every inch as tall and wide. Tony Bellew, for one, has questioned all week whether Spence Jr's weight cut has quietly been more problematic than Brook's. Perhaps the American's six-pack hides problems of its own.
This begs the question: why do boxers torture themselves through weight cuts? The goal is to be the biggest and strongest fighter in the ring. If you opt to avoid the weight cut and compete at your natural measurements, you risk the danger of being dwarfed by an opponent who has dwindled themselves down from a much heavier state. The weight cut is a skill, and completing it professionally is as important as landing the first jab.
Another hurdle remains. The IBF insist on a check-weigh on Saturday morning, where Brook and Spence Jr must not have gained more than 10lbs from Friday's numbers. The thought process, for the fighters' own safety, is to prevent risky depletions followed by over-the-top regains.
"I've had to deal with that before," explained Shawn Porter, the former champion who Brook beat for the title. "My team handled it amicably. Just pay attention to the scale as you eat and re-hydrate. Weigh-in [on Saturday morning] as early as possible."
It is another potential problem for Brook and Spence Jr to navigate past before, as the champion puts it, "the fun starts".
Watch Brook vs Spence Jr, from Bramall Lane, Sheffield, on Saturday night, live on Sky Sports Box Office. You can book the event online here.
