The February 4th showdown between Nonito Donaire and Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. was already heavily-anticipated yet the HBO-televised duel had a little more fuel thrown to the fire after some drama surfaced at Vazquez’s seven day pre-fight weigh-in in his native Puerto Rico.
Vazquez meets Donaire for the vacant WBO junior featherweight crown that he once held and according to the rules of the boxing commission in Puerto Rico, Vazquez wasn’t to be allowed to weigh more than 5% over the contracted weight of 122 pounds, or exactly 128.1 pounds.
And while recent photos having surfaced showing Vazquez to be cut and apparently in solid shape, he raised eyebrows by coming in at 132.6 pounds at today’s weigh-in.
The always reliable Ryan Burton of BoxingScene.com caught up with Felix ‘Tutico’ Zabala of All Star Boxing who co-promotes Vazquez Jr. along with Top Rank and got his thoughts on the whole ordeal.
Zabala claims that his fighter had consumed some food prior to the weigh-in, hence the result of him coming in severely overweight.
“Vazquez had just eaten when they weighed him,” said Zabala. “There is no problem. That is why he was over. He went and worked out and ran after and then he made the weight. It is something to just make a story. He isn’t having any problems at all. After his workout his weight was fine.”
Zabala is a classy person in person but it doesn’t erase all the questions marks surrounding Vazquez’s latest blunder, as one has to wonder why exactly he would be eating prior to such a weigh-in in the first place.
Who knows what really went down but it goes without saying that Vazquez doesn’t want to come in weigh-drained against a fighter of Nonito’s capabilities.
Read more at: http://www.examiner.com/boxing-in-las-vegas/drama-puerto-rico-wilfredo-vazquez-jr-overweight-zabala-brushes-off-rumors
