An Atlantic City audience was left stunned as Curmel Moton missed weight for his next fight.
Moton, who is a Floyd Mayweather protege, was set to battle Bryan Mercado but missed weight by a shocking 15 pounds.
The 18-year-old undefeated lightweight hit the scales in New Jersey and weighed in at over 148lbs, which was just slightly over the agreed 133lbs catchweight limit.
He was scheduled to face Mercado, who is 12 years his senior, under the Swift Promotions banner—linked to former titleholder and renowned Puerto Rican boxer Danny Garcia—but the fight is now off.
Moton’s weight miss was greeted with murmurs and gasps at the weigh-ins as one of the biggest weight misses in boxing history.
“I want to apologize to everyone that was planning on coming to Jersey to watch me fight,” he said on Instagram.
“I’ve been going back and forth with the commission about my bloodwork passing, and as of right now, they lost my blood in their system [which meant the fight was unlikely to be sanctioned].
“I’ve known this for the past three days, so there was no point in killing myself to make [the] weight.
“They still made me weigh in for some reason, and they decided that was the reason they were going to cancel the fight.
“Regardless, I’ll be back in Japan on December 30th [at a potential exhibition involving Ryan Garcia]. See you all there.”
Promoters Swift Promotions also commented on the matter via a written statement, emphasising the importance of protecting both fighters.
“The decision to postpone the fight was made in the best interest of all parties involved,” said a spokesperson for Swift Promotions.
“While we are disappointed to delay this event, our priority is ensuring that both Curmel and his opponents are set up for the best possible competition.
“We appreciate the continued support of Curmel’s fans and the boxing community, and we look forward to announcing his return to the ring soon.*
Moton is from Las Vegas and boasts a professional record of six victories and zero losses, with five of those wins coming by way of knockout.
He turned pro last September on the Canelo Alvarez vs Jermell Charlo undercard, but is now unable to extend that run of form this weekend.
