There has been the weight adjustment Nakatani 122 pounds move for the fight with Naoya Inoue that maybe not enough people are talking about going into the fight.
Moving up in weight comes with its own risks but regularly in today’s times of boxing, it comes with advantages as well.
Previously we thought bringing professional boxing back to same day weigh ins might be good for the sport but upon balancing everything up, maybe this is not a good idea for professional boxing at all.
Ever.
Why? Well fighters have weight cuts down to a real science these days and most are well advised with sports nutritionists and dieticians and so on and they know exactly how to make the weight.
So much so the weight increases between when a boxer makes weight on a Friday afternoon say, compared to what he weighs in the ring then usually around 30 to 34 hours later on a Saturday night, can be a big difference.
So if you were to go by the principle of bringing back same day weigh ins fighters may not have enough time to replenish and rehydrate which is very dangerous for the brain in a contact sport like professional boxing where the object is to hit and not get hit, hitting to the body and head as many times as possible, either knocking out your opponent or outscoring him, while being exciting doing so — for professional boxing.
So Nakatani will have a lot of time to rehydrate like he always does but moving to 122 pounds for the fight with Inoue gives him the relaxed but not too relaxed mindset that there is no pressure really on him to make weight.
We’d be shocked if he struggled to making the weight.
Of course he should have a speed advantage over Naoya Inoue if he makes that weight right and brings his power and explosiveness up with him as he needs to land something significant early on to get Inoue’s attention in the first two rounds.
Not enough to outbox Inoue, which will be the aim of Nakatani of course, the more boxer of the two with Inoue the more puncher but Inoue when he wants to be is an excellent boxer.
This is a fight for the pound for pound number one spot in professional boxing as well
Alas, the weight adjustment Nakatani 122 pounds factor cannot be ignored this weekend.
It is up to him to use it to his advantage or not and capitalize on it if he so chooses.
Don’t underestimate the atmosphere as well in Inoue vs Nakatani in Tokyo today.
