Weight controversy ends Top Rank co main event Saturday

It was certainly a bizarre- “laugh out loud” moment on the day after Thanksgiving weigh-in for the scheduled Saturday night Jr. Lightweight co-main event on the Top Rank, ESPN show in Las Vegas.

That’s when 130 lb. (so we thought) contender Andres Gutierrez, who was set to square off with unbeaten former 126-pound World Champ Oscar Valdez, stepped on the scale:

"41? Did he say 141?"

?️"It's a 130 fight"

??? pic.twitter.com/0UJ6NWC0Hq

— Retweet Franchise Champ (@lazylefty) November 30, 2019

You heard that correctly. Gutierrez weighed 11 pounds more than the contracted weight of 130 and was immediately banned not only from fighting Saturday night, but from the hotel by the WBC and Bob Arum, the head of Top Rank boxing.

Arum angrily denounced Gutierrez being that much overweight for a significant fight and told the media then he and his team were being evicted from the Cosmopolitan Hotel and there would be other repercussions.

Bob Arum absolutely fuming with Gutierrez ahead of his scheduled bout with Oscar Valdez. Andres Gutierrez weighed in 11lbs over weight at the weigh in pic.twitter.com/HtTw72EWLo

— Going The Distance Boxing (@DistanceBoxing) November 29, 2019

WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman quickly produced documentation that Gutierrez had been within the contracted weight parameters over the course of the last month including earlier this week but that they would now suspend him and investigate further.

This is absolutely a clear indication of dangerous tactic by Gutierrez to cut weight . Weight management program is a top priority for WBC and this case will be fully investigated to its fullest consequences . This is extremely dangerous pic.twitter.com/HAFVg5PlIv

— Mauricio Sulaiman (@wbcmoro) November 29, 2019

But whether it was too much Thanksgiving and leftovers or some other reason, he obviously hadn’t taken his weight seriously in recent days. In all serious, this has become a real concern in boxing with fighters attempting to shed sometimes 10 lbs. or more before weighing in and then “re-hyrdrating” and eating after the weigh in to go back their more natural weight.

Clearly, Gutierrez and his team were trying to do this for the Valdez fight and screwed it up.

Gutierrez, (38-2-1, 25 KOs) has won three fights in a row and was supposed to provide solid opposition for Valdez, who is the former WBO Featherweight Champion.

Valdez, is 26 – 0, 20 Kos and had defended his 126 lb. title six times. Arum and the WBC quickly moved to have another fighter, Adam Lopez, who was already on the undercard, replace Gutierrez in the title eliminator fight.

The winner of this bout is scheduled to fight WBC 130 lb. champ, Miguel Berchelt, in early in 2020.