SAN DIEGO, September 2, 2016 – It isn’t customary for Ringside Seat to report on pre-fight weigh-ins, but weight divisions are a significant factor in the storyline of both main events taking place in Los Angeles and London at the O2 Arena next Saturday, September 10.
IBF Welterweight Champion Kell “The Special One” Brook (36-0, 25KOs) of Great Britain is moving up to middleweight, a jump from 147 pounds to 160 pounds, to fight unified Middleweight World Champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin, (35-0, 32 KOs). Brook stepped forward to take on the feared knockout artist when talks broke down with British middleweight title holder Chris Eubank Jr.
Critics jumped on Golovkin for taking on a “smaller” man. But in reality, Brook has found it difficult to make the 147 pound weight limit, and early weigh-ins required by the World Boxing Council including Friday’s seven day weigh-in show Brook weighing considerably more than Golovkin.
Gennady Golovkin (left) and Kell Brook face off at their pre-fight news conference in London, England August 1. Photo: Lawrence Lustig.
Golovkin and Brook both weighed in within the WBC’s required seven-day limits heading into their highly anticipated international showdown.
From his training camp in Big Bear Lake, California, Golovkin, holder of the WBC, WBA, IBF and IBO Middleweight World Titles weighed in at 162.9 pounds, while IBF Welterweight World Champion Brook tipped the scales at 167.8 pounds from the Wincobank Gym in Sheffield, England.
For middleweight world title fights, the WBC mandates that fighters must be no more than five percent over the middleweight limit of 160, which is 168 pounds seven days prior to the fight. Brook just made this mandatory limit.
To the surprise of many boxing observers, Brook has weighed in at higher weights than the natural middleweight Golovkin. At their 30 day weigh-in, Golovkin weighed 167 pounds, while Brook weighed 176 pounds. Trainer Abel Sanchez commented on Brook’s 30-day weight during a news conference in Los Angeles on August 16.
The world’s top pound-for-pound fighter in the world, WBC Flyweight World Champion Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez, (45-0-0, 38 KOs), and undefeated WBC Super Flyweight World Champion Carlos “Principe” Cuadras (35-0-1, 27 KOs) both weighed in within the World Boxing Council (WBC) required seven-day limits ahead of their highly anticipated battle on Saturday, September 10 at the Fabulous Forum and telecast live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 10 p.m. ET.
Consensus number one pound-for-pound fighter and WBC Flyweight World Champion Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez (L) will move up one weight class and challenge undefeated WBC Super Flyweight World Champion Carlos “Principe” Cuadras, (R) on Saturday, September 10 from the Fabulous Forum in Los Angeles. Photo: Chris Farina – K2 Promotions
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