By Jake Donovan
Carlos Cuadras and Marvin Mabait both easily made weight ahead of their super flyweight title fight Thursday evening in Washington D.C.
Cuadras tipped the scales at 114.4 lb. for the second defense of the super flyweight belt he won earlier this year. Mabait weighed 114.6 lb. for his first crack at a major title.
Both boxers are making their debut in the United States.
A new face emerged atop the super flyweight mix when Cuadras (30-0-1, 24KOs) wrested the crown from Srisaket Sor Rungvisai this past May at home in Mexico City. The bout ended in anticlimactic fashion after eight rounds, when Cuadras was medically forced to quit due to an irreparable cut over his left eye.
His lone title defense to date ended in similar fashion, this time with his opponent—countryman Jose Salgado—suffering a cut to prompt the stoppage. Because the action ended inside of four rounds, the fight was declared a technical draw.
Mabait (19-2-2, 13KOs) fell into the title shot purely by accident. The Filipino contender was granted the opportunity after his countryman, mandatory challenger and former lineal flyweight champion Sonny Boy Jaro was forced to withdraw from the contest due to visa issues that disallowed him to travel to the United States.
The title opportunity for Mabait comes despite having lost his last bout, an upset knockout at the hands of Alejandro Hernandez in Mexico this past March. Thursday’s bout will mark Mabait’s third consecutive fight outside of Philippines, where he had spent his entire career prior to last October.
The bout tops a fight card put together in conjunction with the 25 th Anniversary of the Fight Night Foundation , with the function being held at the Washington Hilton. The event will include live entertainment, a silent auction and fully catered dinner and cocktail reception.
Similar events are held throughout the country each year in efforts to raise money for specific charities. The 2013 edition of Fight Night raised over $3.9 million for Fight for Children and other organizations who strive to provide education and healthcare services to low-income families in the Washington D.C. area.
Since its inception in 1989, Fight Night has raised more than $40 million for Fight For Children .
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com, as well as the Records Keeper for the Transnational Boxing Ratings Board and a member of Boxing Writers Association of America . Twitter: @JakeNDaBox