Matters went according to plan in Stuttgart, Germany on Friday as Darren Barker and Felix Sturm each came in under the 160-pound weight limit ahead of their clash at the Porsche Arena this weekend.
Saturday will see the middleweight duo entertain as Englishman Barker attempts to defend the IBF world middleweight title he won thanks to a close-knit split decision over Daniel Geale back in August.
This will be the first time that the 31-year-old has fought back-to-back bouts on the road. His last outing in Atlantic City will be followed up with this trip to Germany, which is renowned for being difficult for visitors to earn victories.
Whether those superstitions prove true is one thing, but Sturm will be a tough contest for Barker, who is defending his title for the first time.
Per BoxingScene.com, the German came in as the slightly heavier of the two at 159.4 pounds, while Barker was exactly one pound under the limit at 159.
Joe Calzaghe, having recently been elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame, was a surprise visitor to the event. The travelling fans out in force to support Barker gave Calzaghe ample tribute.
As the video above shows, there was little animosity between the two fighters when they faced up at the weigh-in. Sturm appeared calm opposite the boxer three years his junior.
The Leverkusen native comes into Stuttgart's matchup with a record of 38 wins from 44 fights, including three losses, two draws and a no-contest.
Matthew Macklin and Martin Murray are two men who traveled to Germany in recent years only to come out on the wrong end of points decisions against Sturm. They lost and drew, respectively.
Barker will attempt to put his defence beyond any sign of doubt, which is the only surefire way to come out of the Porsche Arena unscathed.
The Barnet man has lost just once in 27 fights. He bounced back from the defeat to Sergio Martinez in 2011 by winning his last three fights in a row.
According to BoxRec, Sturm and Barker have produced 33 knockouts from their combined 64 wins, which shows a decent potential for the early finish this Saturday. But it's just as likely that we'll see the duo go 12 rounds.
With the last pre-fight event now out of the way, all eyes turn to the Porsche Arena, where spectators will hope that the buildup to this middleweight matchup lives up to its billing.
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