For a long time, Alberto Machado, one of the tallest fighters in boxing’s super featherweight division and now his time at 130 pounds is soon running out.
Despite having a successful title run as the WBA super featherweight champion, starting with a knockout win over Jezreel Corrales, his run ended last February with a wild brawl against Andrew Cancio.
For a while, many, even Machado, thought a run at lightweight was inevitable and happening as soon as his next fight. Instead, Machado is focusing on redemption and wanting to capitalize his last few months as a super featherweight on top. In a recent media call, Machado was asked by Fightful how the loss to Cancio influenced his decision to pursue a rematch against Cancio taking place this week instead of simply moving up in weight.
“I’m really motivated right now to just be a two-time world champion. We’ve had a plan long ago that this would be my last year fighting at 130 pounds because my height is starting to make it hard for me to make weight. I got the potential to move up in weight. As far as looking at my health, it’s best to make this year my last before I move up in weight,” Machado said.
Now while the opponent may be the same in Cancio, Machado is preparing for the fight a little bit differently. The main difference between the two training camps is the time being spent in the gym. It all stems back to Machado’s earlier comments about not being 100 percent despite being able to make weight in the first fight against Cancio.
“The time I’ve spent preparing for this fight has been the difference between both camps. That has shown in the way I feel and the result will be shown in this fight,” Machado said.
Cancio vs. Machado 2 for the WBA "Regular" super featherweight title will take place on June 21. The fight will headline a Golden Boy Promotions card from the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino that will be streamed on DAZN in the United States.
