By Dan Ambrose: Juan Manuel Lopez (33-2, 30 KO’s) is in a tough situation tonight against what will likely be a lot heavier Mikey Garcia (31-0, 26 KO’s) in their fight that will be televised by HBO at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
Mikey, 25, lost his World Boxing Organization 126 lb. featherweight title after coming in 2 pounds over the limit yesterday at the weigh-in. In a really telling sign of how much of a struggle it was for Mikey to get down close to the limit, he didn’t bother trying to take off the 2 extra pounds after coming in over the limit.
When you get a fighter that isn’t willing to take off the extra weight that tells you that they went through pure hell just to get down in weight and simply can’t take off anymore.
All you needed to do is look at how painfully thin and emaciated Mikey looked yesterday at the weigh-in to tell you how much water weight Mikey must have taken off just to get down to 128. He looked like a human skeleton with skin just hanging off of his bones and his face sunken in around his eyes.
Mikey looked sickly and in no condition to fight whatsoever. I can only guess how much weight he’s put on since then by rehydrating. I wouldn’t be surprised if Mikey comes into tonight’s fighting weighing in the neighborhood of 147. I can see that happening when you see a fighter as painfully thin as Mikey was often times they rehydrate by putting on 15 to 20 pounds. Do the math. Mikey came in at 128, and if you add 15 to 20 pounds to that of water weight, you’re talking 143-148. I’m thinking the high number is the more likely number will see from Mikey tonight.
If that’s the case then Lopez is going to have a real problem on his hands because he doesn’t rehydrate that much and he’ll be fighting a guy that is a full-fledged welterweight tonight.
Juanma will have a chance to win the WBO featherweight title tonight, but Mikey can’t by virtue of him failing to make weight and getting his title stripped from him.
On the undercard tonight will be lightweight defensive artist Terence Crawford facing Alejandro Sanabria and junior middleweight Vans Martirosyan taking another stay busy fight against an over-matched Ryan Davis.
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