UPDATE: The camps of Adrien Broner and Vicente Escobedo have agreed to new provisions for tonight’s scheduled HBO bout. Per boxingscene.com, Broner will be allowed to compete at his latest weight of 148 pounds. Escobedo is alleged to have had his purse increased to $400,000 for agreeing to go through with what was initially a super featherweight bout (130 pounds). The card airs tonight on HBO at 10 p.m.
CINCINNATI, OH — Adrien Broner’s scheduled WBO super featherweight title defense against Vicente Escobedo is now officially canceled after Broner failed to make a last-minute renegotiated fight weight of 140 pounds.
Earlier today, Broner tipped the scales at 143, three pounds over the 140 limit that was re-negotiated with Escobedo’s camp last night. At the first weigh-in, Broner came in 133.5, exceeding the super featherweight limit by 3.5 pounds. He was stripped of his WBO title and fined 20% of his $300,000 purse ($60,000).
Escobedo’s camp delivered on their promise to not go through with the fight should Broner come in over 140 pounds. The entire card, which included an televised co-feature of Keith Thurman vs. Orlando Lora, has been annulled.
In an recent interview with Beats, Boxing & Mayhem, Broner had declared this would have been his last fight at 130 pounds.
At press time, Broner has not released a statement.
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I can’t stress enough how unprofessional and embarrassing this whole episode is for Adrien Broner. First, he’s deprived Escobedo a title shot payday and the two other guys who trained for weeks for tonight’s card. Then add on the financial loss Golden Boy and HBO will endure. Finally, all the fans who ordered tickets got shafted.
I have no problem with Escobedo not going through with this. Broner was already huge for 130 pounds and would have entered tonight’s fight a solid welterweight or even close to the junior middleweight limit of 154 pounds. Huge weight advantages are how fighters get hurt.
Broner needs to issue a sincere apology to everyone involved. He’ll rightly get hammered from fans and writers for this stunt, but it’s a start.
UPDATE
Looks like we have a fight back on for tonight. Considering that Escobedo’s initial purse for tonight was under $200k, I can understand from a financial standpoint why an increase to $400k was damn hard to turn down. Still, the weight difference will be striking and this is a dangerous fight only happening to protect an investment made in a fighter who in this situation has shown zero professionalism and respect to a fellow fighter in Escobedo, the fans and the sport.
I just pray we don’t see a situation like Gatti-Gamache tonight.
Beats, Boxing and Mayhem 