What Is A Rehydration Clause In Boxing and How Does It Impact Fighters?

The term ‘rehydration clause’ is thrown around a lot in boxing and has been ever present in the buildup to Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor Benn but what is it and how does it impact fights?

What Is A Rehydration Clause In Boxing?

Agreeing deals between the biggest stars in boxing can be an extremely difficult task, with disputes over weight, money and venue – but one thing that has also entered contract negotiations is a rehydration clause.

A rehydration clause is something that is agreed before the fight and placed into a contract, it puts a cap on how much weight a competitor can put on between the official weigh-in and day of the fight.

Fighters will drawn themselves to unbelievable levels to make weight and this clause restricts them from regaining so much fluid that can add anywhere between 10-20 pounds.

Its purpose is to make the fight equal on the night, as a bigger fighter cannot drain themselves down and then put all of the weight back on to have a major weight advantage on the night.

An example that is very relevant at this moment in time is the bout between Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn, which takes place on April 26th.

The rehydration clause in this bout did not allow Chris Eubank Jr or Conor Benn to weight over 170 pounds on the day of the fight.

This almost caused a huge issue for Eubank Jr, as he missed the official weight of 160 pounds by 0.05 lbs and weighed 169 lbs on the day of the fight.

Eubank Jr was handed one of the biggest fines in boxing history, receiving a £375,000 punishment for missing weight by 0.05 lbs and would have received another penalty if he went over the 170 lbs mark.

Fight day weigh-in complete. Rehydration restriction is over. Now all that’s left to do is rock up to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium tonight & make history #EubankBenn pic.twitter.com/Nmt3hawDle

— Chris Eubank Jr (@ChrisEubankJr) April 26, 2025

How Does The Clause Impact Fighters?

The process of weight-cutting in general has a clear impact on boxers at the highest level, as the body is not built to lose that amount of fluid in a short space of time.

Fighters have been seen stumbling on the way to the weigh ins after going in and out of consciousness, while also looking extremely drained.

A rehydration clause has negative affects on both fighters, as the smaller fighter cannot gain as much weight as the bigger fighter through rehydration.

However, the bigger fighter will have a harder weight cut and take a lot of energy from their body which may impact their performance in the ring.

An example of this came during Ryan Garcia’s defeat to Gervonta Davis. Garcia was extremely drained to reach 136 lbs and this also had a 10-pound rehydration limit.

Tank would go on to stop Garcia with a body shot and many believed the weight cut impacted his ability to take punches – meaning the body shot shut him down easier than expected.