When Jezreel Corrales arrived at weigh-ins today, he was expected to come out and look like a super featherweight. Instead, he came out as a lightweight.
Corrales missed weight ahead of his WBA super featherweight title defense against Alberto Machado, which was going to main event an HBO-televised card. Corrales didn't just miss weight, he almost missed weight for the following weight class, stepping in at 134 pounds, four pounds over the super featherweight limit and one pound below the lightweight limit of 135 pounds.
As a result, the World Boxing Association has stripped Corrales of the title. The title can now only be won by Machado and if Corrales defeats Machado, then the title will remain vacant. Corrales originally was 134 pounds when he stepped on the scales today. Afterwards, Corrales had two hours to shed the four pounds, but couldn't even lose one pound. Corrales stepped on the scale again and weighed in at 133.3 pounds.
This is now the second time in the span of two months that a 130-pound world champion has missed weight the day before a world title defense. Gervonta Davis missed weight the day before he was set to defend his WBO super featherweight title on the Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor undercard. Davis was stripped of the title, won his match against Francisco Fonseca, but now has yet to decide whether he will remain at super featherweight or move up in weight and compete at lightweight.
A former interim champion, Corrales won the full version of the WBA super featherweight title last year when he beat Takashi Uchiyama via second-round knockout.
