On the day the British Boxing Board of Control announced plans to bring weigh-ins forward to combat dehydration in fighters who have undergone a drastic weight loss, it was claimed yesterday that Jimmy Garcia's severe brain injuries may have been caused by precisely that problem.
Garcia, a Colombian who is still in a coma following his fight with Gabriel Ruelas on 6 May, may have set himself up for injury by having to lose 30 pounds, or nearly 20 per cent of his body weight, in the two months leading up to the fight.
His promoter, Bob Arum, said he believes Garcia was dehydrated and vulnerable to injury. "My theory is he didn't have enough time to replenish the fluid in his brain after taking diuretics to make the weight," Arum said. "His brain didn't have protection."
Weigh-ins for major fights in Britain are to be switched to 24 hours before the event. The new regulation, which takes effect from 1 June, falls into line with the European Boxing Union's recent order for weigh- ins to be moved to the evening before title fights.
Earlier dates with the scales have been in operation for world title fights in all four organisations during the last few years.
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