Floyd Mayweather stripped down, stepped up to the scale and flashed his trademark smile on Friday afternoon in front of a packed house at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nev., where he came in at 150.5 pounds in anticipation of Saturday's 152-pound catchweight fight against Saul "Canelo" Alvarez.
Alvarez made the weight as well, checking in at the maximum 152 pounds, clearing the path for what many have called boxing's biggest bout in more than a half-decade. The two fighters agreed on the 152-pound catchweight as a sort-of middle ground, with Mayweather preferring to fight lighter and Alvarez typically fighting at 154 pounds.
Mayweather and Alvarez are now free to pack on whatever weight they need between now and the fight, with most coming in the way of replenishing fluids lost from cutting weight.
Mayweather will defend his WBA Super Welterweight title, with Alvarez's The Ring Junior Middleweight and WBC Super Welterweight championship belts at stake. With record purses due for all parties involved, seeing both fighters make their weight seemed like a foregone conclusion.
The remainder of the card, which has been touted as by far the year's best, went off (mostly) without a hitch as well. The highly anticipated undercard between Danny Garcia and Lucas Matthysse for the WBA (Super), WBC Super Lightweight and The Ring Junior Welterweight titles will go off as planned, with both fighters coming in right around the 140-pound maximum.
Now all that's left to do is get in the ring.
With the preliminary festivities wrapped in a tight bow, let's check in on the action from Friday afternoon's weigh-in session.
Floyd Mayweather vs. Saul "Canelo" Alvarez (Multiple Titles, 152-Pound Maximum)
There may be no two fighters in the entire world with more confidence than Mayweather and Alvarez—and both men showed it Friday. The 23-year-old Alvarez (42-0-1, 30 KOs) showed no signs of intimidation when going through the obligatory pre-fight staredown with Mayweather.
Mayweather, in his typically antagonistic fashion, was chewing gum with his mouth as wide as a third grader's as he got in Alvarez's face for the showdown. The fighters were obviously milking the moment for the cameras, as Floyd talked trash in his opponent's face in a scene befitting the fight's spectacle. At one point, both Mayweather and Alvarez even broke into semi-laughter—as close as you can get to the breaking of the fourth wall in that moment.
The only snippet of even relative tension—if you could call it that—was quickly squashed by the Mexican fighter. As the two were nearing the end of their eye-to-eye contact, Mayweather again tried to antagonize Alvarez by attempting to hand him the belt.
Alvarez didn't take the bait.
As for the actual weigh-in, both men looked to be in impeccable condition. Even at age 36 with yet another world-record payout going into his pocket, Mayweather looked as determined as ever. Not that he was in bad condition for his last bout with Robert Guerrero—he wasn't at all—but the extra leeway he had with weight gave him the opportunity to add some muscle .
Alvarez, whose weight was a concern heading into this bout considering he usually fights at 154 pounds, came in right at the 152-pound limit. It will be interesting to see how that drop-down affects how he chooses to attack Mayweather on Saturday.
Danny Garcia vs. Lucas Matthysse (Multiple Titles, 140-Pound Maximum)
For a split second at the MGM Grand, it seemed like the card of the century could be going down in flames. Danny Garcia (26-0, 16 KOs) stepped up to the scale, stripped of everything but his undergarments, and weighed in at 140.5 pounds—a half-pound over the super lightweight maximum.
There was some initial thought from the ESPN booth, which was covering the weigh-in, that Garcia would have to drop drawers in order make weight. However, after about a 30-second step-down where he was toweled off and composed himself, the Philadelphia native stepped up to the scale again and came in at exactly 140 pounds.
And a major catastrophe was averted.
Matthysse (34-2-1, 32 KOs) had no issues making weight, also coming in at 140 pounds. The 30-year-old Argentine is in a similar position as Mayweather, attempting to knock off one of the most talented young fighters in the world.
Despite both corners coming into the weigh-in with some blusterous talk, there was no pre-fight altercation between the two on Friday. The two unblinking men merely stared into each others eyes as cameras went in for their money shot.
It was unlikely either fighter would have raised a ruckus with Mayweather and Alvarez yet to weigh in, but the scene felt anticlimactic. Luckily, Saturday's fight should go a long way toward atoning for that.
Other Preliminary Weigh-In Results
Ishe Smith vs. Carlos Amado Molina (IBF Junior Middleweight Title, 154-Pound Max)
Though buried under two main-event fights later in the night, boxing fans should get an excellent warm-up bout between Smith and Molina.
The current IBF Light Middleweight title holder, Smith (25-5, 11 KOs) is riding a four-fight winning streak heading into Saturday night. He defeated Cornelius Bundrage earlier this year to win his first major championship at the age of 35. Born in Las Vegas, Smith should have a good amount of support in the crowd despite the Canelo supporters sure to be in the audience.
Molina (21-5-2, 6 KOs) shares Alvarez's Mexican heritage, but not his penchant for knockouts. The 30-year-old boxer has just six career KOs, the most recent coming in 2011. This fight will very likely go the distance.
Both fighters came in at 153 pounds, one pound under the 154-pound maximum.
Ashley Theophane vs. Pablo Cesar Cano (Non-Title Welterweight, 147-Pound Max)
The veteran versus the up-and-comer. It's the billing of the card's main event, and it's also the storyline that will begin the night's action.
At age 33, Theophane (33-5-1, 9 KOs) will attempt to hold off Father Time for another day against Cano. The 23-year-old Mexican (26-3-1, 19 KOs) was on an upward trajectory in the sport until his past two fights. First he lost a split decision to Paulie Malignaggi, and then Shane Mosley came out of retirement to defeat him in May.
Theophane came in at 142 pounds, while Cano was at 141.5.
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