Young lightweight prospect Curmel Moton, who is widely touted as the next big thing in boxing, failed to make weight for his fight against Ecuador’s Bryan Mercado. The six-round bout was supposed to unfold at the ACX1 Studios in Atlantic City, New Jersey on 30th November. But Moton, who trains under the tutelage of the legendary Floyd Mayweather, came in significantly over the agreed 133lbs catchweight limit.

‘Big Deal’ Moton weighed in at 148.7 lbs, almost 15 pounds heavier, on Friday during the final weigh-ins for the bout. This quickly prompted Swift Promotions, which is linked to former world champion Danny Garcia, to cancel the fight on Saturday. The 18-year-old boxing prodigy was riding high on a three-fight knockout streak. 

Though he planned to close out the year with another dominant performance, his inability to make weight raised several eyebrows, especially because he fought in the super lightweight division in October and fought at 131¼ in August. Regardless, it’s currently unclear what weight 30-year-old Mercado weighed during the weigh-ins, as the event was not live-streamed, and the available footage only shows Moton.

Since the fight was canceled, Moton has apologized to his fans who were planning to come out to New Jersey to watch him fight. “I’ve been going back and forth with the commission about my bloodwork passing, and as of right now, they lost my blood in their system [which meant the fight was unlikely to be sanctioned],” Curmel Moton said in a statement. 

“I’ve known this for the past three days, so there was no point in killing myself to make [the] weight,” he added. Moton claimed that despite not managing his weight for the fight, the organizers insisted on a weigh-in, which he claimed the organizers used to cancel the fight. Nonetheless, Curmel Moton revealed when he will fight next. 

“I’ll be back in Japan on December 30th [at the potential exhibition involving Ryan Garcia]. See you all there,” he said. In the meantime, a spokesperson from Swift Promotions has shared a statement on the matter. 

Claressa Shields mocks Curmel Moton for missing weight

In a statement shared on the matter, Swift Promotions revealed their side of the story on why they decided to cancel the fight. “The decision to postpone the fight was made in the best interest of all parties involved,” they said. “While we are disappointed to delay this event, our priority is ensuring that both Curmel and his opponents are set up for the best possible competition.”

“We appreciate the continued support of Curmel’s fans and the boxing community, and we look forward to announcing his return to the ring soon,” they concluded. Meanwhile, other personalities in boxing have also weighed in on the matter. Claressa Shields wrote, “Lol @curmelmoton1 You said you wasn’t skipping Thanksgiving. 14 pounds overweight is crazy young man.”

That said, it appears Curmel Moton was convinced the fight wouldn’t happen from the start due to issues with his blood work. It will be intriguing to see who he faces next. Do you believe the fight’s cancelation was his fault?