Best of a bad bunch then. I'm torn on this, and don't know what Franco is down to yet. I have some sympathy with the idea that the local authority should just pull a fighter, but i've seen guys bin four pounds in two hours before, if Franco had made it down to 117lbs, you're binning that fight off? The fighters want to fight, the fans want to see the fight, the fighters on the undercard need that fight to happen, and etc. Ioka is world class and experienced. Sometimes shaking your fist is the best you can get. It's a miserable failure on the part of Franco and his team but "fight's off", I dunno, we saw Wood take the Lara fight and hammer him recently. He definitely wouldn't have been better off pulling out.
Franco got down to 121,25 on his final try (zero Fs given to give up his advantage), that's still 6,5 lbs and two divisions overweight, FAR WORSE than Nery, that's Franco actually fighting in Fulton's division. Now imagine Ioka taking on Inoue at that weight. Nope, this fight should not be happening.
Yeah, but you don't want to fight the fight because of the second weigh in not the first weigh in, that's right isn't it? If we don't hear anything in the next hour, it's going ahead IMO.
You make contracted weight, you fight, you don't make it on multiple tries, you forfeit your purse, your title/ranking and the right to compete for the next 18 months, that's my stance. No way his weight was so out of control they didn't see this mid camp, they withheld information weaponizing this issue to gain unfair advantage and hoping Japan & Ioka will be absolute gents fighting the fight vs. a cheater. How come fight's off if you pee positive yet it's on if you weigh in two divisions higher? That's objectively worse than being on EPO. JBC is NOT best of the bad bunch if they have the authority of stopping this and they don't. That's terrible. Even in a win Ioka could take serious punishment, and even if Franco ends up weak it's the same thing as fighting roided up and still failing. I have a hard line on this. Cancel and ban.
Robert Garcia says that he's been talking to the promoter about Franco's weight problems "for a few days" so at least it hasn't been a shock to Ioka. Ioka decided to cut to the wire presumably so that the title would be available for him, which is one way to handle things. What a cluster****.
Nearly everyone on Boxingforum24 had it draw or Ioka win. Boxrec scorers have it a draw, but barely, it's much closer to an Ioka win with like three tossups being given to Franco.
Franco is a slight betting favourite or it’s dead level with certain bookmakers. However, as he has now missed weight and won’t be fighting for the title…the probability of an Ioka win has gone up.
Yes, a couple of guys i've spoken to feel that way, that an Ioka win is more likely. I guess maybe "the drama" and the weight-making problems make people think he's less able to perform and the extra weight won't add up to that much. I favoured Franco before and now I think maybe anything could happen so that's fair I guess.
A guy who misses weight could point in either direction. It could be that he simply did not care to make the cut and enjoys a huge advantage on fight night. We've definitely seen that. Or it could mean he tried desperately to make it and failed, leaving himself exhausted. Or it could suggest focus issues outside the ring or personal life stuff. Seen that before, too.
Which of the scenarios is more likely to apply here ? Also, wouldn't it be wise for Ioka's corner to demand a rehydration clause before the fight tomorrow ?