EL PASO, Texas – In what may well prove to be the weekend’s largest upset, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. weighed a quarter pound less than Andy Lee, Friday, and did so on-time and looking good.
Inside the historic Plaza Theatre – originally opened in 1930 – made available for the early afternoon weigh-in because of overwhelming local interest and temperatures, Lee preceded Chavez to center stage and marked 159 1/4 pounds on a medical scale featured prominently. Then came Chavez, bearded and smiling, who strolled towards the scale with none of the apprehension he showed a similar arrangement in February.
Before a successful defense of his WBC middleweight title at Alamodome in San Antonio, Chavez was nearly 30 minutes late to the weighin and arrived with a drawn face and soaked in perspiration. He then required that a sheet be held beneath the scale, for decency’s sake, removed all his clothing and came in a half pound under the limit, before slumping on a chair and taking a prolonged pull of sportsdrink.
Friday brought no such suspense. Chavez took the scale at 1:05 PM and made 159, with his best physique yet. His skin was papery, and his musculature was improved too. Chavez is favored both to beat and outweigh Lee, Saturday, at Sun Bowl Stadium on the campus of UTEP.
15rounds.com will have full undercard coverage from ringside.
Photo by Chris Farina / Top Rank
