Garcia Thinks Broner Could Out-Weigh Him By 10 Pounds in Fight

By Keith Idec

NEW YORK – Mikey Garcia was the heavier fighter Friday afternoon when he and Adrien Broner got on the New York State Athletic Commission’s scale at the Brooklyn Marriott.

When they step into the ring Saturday night, though, Garcia expects Broner to out-weigh him by as much as 10 pounds.

The contracted weight for their 12-round main event at Barclays Center is 140 pounds, but Garcia says he’ll weigh “maybe” 146 or 148 pounds by the time their fight starts. The unbeaten WBC lightweight champion expects Broner to weigh somewhere between 154 and 156 pounds in the ring.

The 29-year-old Garcia (36-0, 30 KOs), of Oxnard, California, weighed in at a career-high 139½ pounds Friday. He has moved up from the lightweight limit of 135 pounds to box Broner because it’s a higher-profile fight than anything that was available to him at lightweight.

The 28-year-old Broner (33-2, 24 KOs, 1 NC), of Cincinnati, Ohio, weighed in at 138¾ pounds. The former four-division champion, who has had difficulty making weight at times during his career, would’ve been fined $500,000 if he didn’t meet the 140-pound limit Friday.

Now that they’ve made weight, Garcia expects there to be a significant weight difference the next time they occupy the same space.

“As far as size, height, [we’re] not so much apart,” Garcia said. “But he has fought at welterweight in the past and he does gain more weight in between fights than me. So I think he’ll be walking in between 154 and 156 on fight night, because I’m sure he’s gonna gain maybe 15, 16 pounds. But I’m used to sparring big guys. I was sparring a lot of big guys and I don’t think that’s gonna affect me.

“[I’ll be] maybe 46, 48. He might out-weigh me by close to 10 pounds. But that’s just the way it is. That’s why it’s a big, important fight, because it’s a bigger challenge for me. I could’ve taken an easier fight, but we chose not to.”

Broner wouldn’t estimate how much he or Garcia will weigh in the ring.

“Who knows, man?,” Broner said. “I don’t know. Just know I’ll be ready Saturday night.”

When told Garcia guessed there could be a 10-pound difference between them once the bell rings, Broner said, “That’s cool. That’s cool for him. I don’t know. There’s been fights I’ve weighed [155]. There’s fights I’ve weighed [150]. You just never know.”

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.