Abstinence is an integral part of combat sports. Almost every professional boxer engages in abstinence during a fight camp. But, it is safe to say that as easy as it sounds, it’s not a joke. Boxers not only abstain from s*x but also alcohol. Recently, ahead of his fight against Vasyl Lomachenko, Devin Haney revealed his struggles with abstinence from sex during his fight camp. And it is safe to say that he is not the only one going through the hardships alone. And former undisputed champion Claressa Shields has joined the reigning undisputed champion and shared her struggle with abstinence.

Shields took to her Twitter to re-share a clip from Haney’s interview ahead of his fight. And shared her own take on abstinence from s*x ahead of a fight. Moreover, she made a bold claim about abstinence as one gets older.

Claressa Shields believes it gets harder as one gets older

In the interview clip, Haney explained that he used to abstain from s*x for eight weeks. But, as that continued, he used to get “w*t dreams” leading up to the fight. And the stopping time for the reigning undisputed champion was when he had a dream on the day of his fight.

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Shields highlighted this issue professional boxer face and shared her side of the story. She wrote, “Lol I Used to do 6 weeks before a fight. Now I do 5 weeks sustaining from s*x.“ It seems like not many professional boxers can seem to keep up with the abstinence for the fight. And Shields further claimed that as one gets older, it becomes harder with time.

Well, it is safe to say that abstinence is no joke. And let it be a male champion or female. Everyone faces the same problem. Shields recently urged other women athletes to come in support of women’s sports. The ‘Gwoat’ will be making her return to the boxing ring on June 5 against Hanna Gabriels.

Why do boxers abstain before a fight?

The tale of abstinence before a fight goes way long. Having s*x before a fight is considered not good for the athlete’s performance. It is considered a sign of one’s discipline and mental strength ahead of the boxing fight. And it adds to the confidence of a boxer going into the fight.

There is no empirical evidence to prove the benefits of abstinence before a fight. And it is safe to say that all it comes down to is the discipline of the boxer.

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What are your thoughts on abstaining from sex before a fight? Let us know in the comments.