Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.'s weight struggles continue ahead of his fight against Daniel Jacobs.
First reported by Salvador Rodriguez of ESPN Deportes, at the weigh-ins for their December 20 bout that will headline a Matchroom Boxing card from Phoenix, Arizona, Chavez came in at 172.7 pounds. That is nearly five pounds over the super middleweight limit of 168 pounds, the weight the fight was supposed to be at. Jacobs, a former middleweight champion, did his part in making weight, coming in at 167.9 pounds.
This doesn't mean that the fight is off, however, as a last-minute deal that would have both fighters compete at a 173-pound catchweight. Jacobs' side agreed to the deal with Chavez having to pay him an unspecified amount from his seven-figure purse to allow the fight to move forward.
The fight has heavily monitored due to the possibility of Chavez not being cleared to fight. Chavez was temporarily suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for not taking a drug test administered by VADA due to Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn originally requesting the fight take place in Las Vegas. What followed in the ensuing weeks was a legal battle that ultimately resulted in Chavez getting a Temporary Restraining Order against the commission and NSAC Executive Director Bob Bennett. This cleared the path for the fight to go through as planned.
Chavez's issues with failing drug tests and missing weight has been well-documented. He missed weight for a fight against Marco Reyes in 2015 and had the contracted weight go up multiple times in the days and weeks leading to a fight against Brian Vera in 2013. Ever since Chavez lost his WBC middleweight title to Sergio Martinez in 2012, he has not fought at 160 pounds.
The card will feature a WBC flyweight title fight between Cristofer Rosales and Julio Cesar Martinez. Also set for the undercard are former world champions Liam Smith and Maurice Hooker fighting in separate bouts as well as Gabriel Rosado, who was in line to replace Chavez Jr. for the main event if he was unable to compete.
