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With the fights still to come tomorrow, I think it probably goes without saying that things haven't gone perfectly for Golden Boy Promotions' big debut show at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. With main event fighter Erik Morales failing a USADA drug test, positive for clenbuterol, the show already has some "negative vibes, man," and today's weigh-in didn't help much, either.
Morales himself provided some controversy, or at least it seemed the way. Hitting the scales in the nyood, Morales (52-8, 36 KO) and a New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) member had some words before the Mexican legend even stepped onto the scales. He weighed in, and it appeared as though he'd missed the weight, but no announcement came.
After more words between "El Terrible" and his team and the NYSAC rep, Morales stepped back on and weighed in at 139.2 pounds, 0.8 pounds below the junior welterweight limit. It's entirely possible that Morales and the commission guy were talking/arguing/whatever about something else, but it doesn't seem likely, and the weigh-in just looked shady to most observers.
But Morales made the weight officially, and that's what matters. Defending WBC and WBA junior welterweight champ Danny Garcia weighed in at 139.8 pounds, without controversy.
The main undercard bout, pitting Brooklyn's own Paulie Malignaggi against Mexico's Pablo Cesar Cano for Malignaggi's WBA welterweight title, had its own drama. Malignaggi was fine, coming in at 146.2, but Cano was a full 1.4 pounds over the limit at 148.4 pounds. Cano had one hour from the time of his weigh-in (about a half hour ago) to come back and make weight, but Malignaggi has already said he'll be fighting Cano tomorrow night either way.
The other two main card fights, also for world titles, came off without issue.
In the night's Showtime opener, Devon Alexander weighed in at 146.8 to challenge for Randall Bailey's IBF welterweight title, with Bailey at 147 on the button. The WBO middleweight title will be defended by Hassan N'dam, who weighed in at 159 even, as he takes on Peter "Kid Chocolate" Quillin, who came in at 159.2.