Michael Conlan has revealed the astonishing realities he has faced in cutting weight ahead of big fights in his career.
Conlan has previously fought at super-bantamweight (8st 10lbs), but more regularly the Olympic silver medallist competes at featherweight which holds a 9st limit.
And Conlan admitted he has piled on two stone since fighting Leigh Wood in Nottingham back in March of this year, a fight which saw him knocked out of the ring in a frightening ending.
Now looking forward to another contest in August, Conlan is focused on cutting weight once again.
The 30-year-old offered an insight into the weight game on a recent episode of the No Blasters podcast with comedian Ciaran Bartlett.
He said: "I think from the (Wood) fight I have put on two stone.
"You obviously get to the fighting weight, and then you go up a bit in between the weigh-in and the fight.
"I weigh in at 9st dead. It's mental.
"So I get to that (for weighing in) but I am only like that for a few hours. And then I will be in the ring at 64kg which is basically a stone heavier. So I put a stone on within the space of 36 hours.
"It's not as if I am killing myself down to that weight. I just lose all the water from my body. So I sweat all the water out of me. I am not actually that weight, it is just water, and then I rehydrate."
Conlan revealed how he "basically collapsed" trying to boil down to super-bantamweight for a fight against Ionut Baluta in April last year.
The Falls Road boxer resorted to sitting in a "scalding hot bath" to try and sweat any excess water, but says his body started to shut down after overheating.
He said: "One time last year, April 30 it was. I fought and on the day of the weigh-in I was trying to move down a weight, to 8st 10lbs.
"I got down to 56kg and had a kilo to lose. I was in a scalding hot bath. It burns the f****** b**** off you trying to get into it.
"So I was sitting in the bath sweating like f***, but obviously I spent too long in it and I started to overheat and my body started to shut down.
"I got out of the bath and had to lie on the floor with ice packs on me. I basically collapsed. I felt my eyes going, like when you faint.
"I won the fight, but I didn't do as well as I could have. And that was down to losing the weight."
Conlan also revealed how he was fined £50,000 after missing weight for his fight against TJ Doheny at last summer's Feile.
The contest was originally set for super-bantamweight before being moved up to a catchweight which Conlan missed by a couple of ounces.
"I have missed the weight once by a few ounces. Half was my fault, half wasn't," Conlan said.
"The fight was changed to a different weight the week before but the opponent hadn't agreed on that weight.
"He was demanding I made the lighter weight, but I had already started to eat, and I had to try and lose it. I was a few ounces out, and I think he got £50,000 of a bonus and I think I lost £50,000.
"He was standing at the weigh-in saying 'your boy's in trouble' because I was over the weight. I just stepped off the scales and drank some water and he was fuming.
"I think that's why I got fined as well."
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