By Miguel Rivera
Alberto 'Explosivo' Machado is leaning in the direction of exercising a rematch clause for a second clash with Andrew Cancio.
Last Saturday, Machado dropped Cancio in the first round, but then he was battered and dropped three times before losing his World Boxing Association (WBA) super featherweight (130 pounds) title in the fourth round.
The Puerto Rican visited the canvas three times during the fourth round before the match was stopped.
Unlike previous occasions, Machado spent less time in Los Angeles, California, to complete the preparation for a very particular reason.
"I arrived two weeks later than planned because my son had surgery and I had to stay in Puerto Rico while he recovered. I made the decision to be there for six weeks instead of the typical eight, but I made a good base in Puerto Rico on the track," Machado said to Carlos Gonzalez.
He also confessed that he arrived in Los Angeles at 148 pounds, when typically his weight before establishing the training camp is around 143 pounds.
"The problem was that on lead-up to the weigh-in I was six pounds away from 130. I did not make the weight in proper time. For the fight I came in there tired. Before leaving the dressing room, I was already dead. After the first round, my hands did not come out, I could not throw punches, besides I got too heavy in the ring. Because I was so dehydrated after the weigh-in, I was forced to eat a lot and went up there at 148 pounds when I regularly come in at 144 to 146 for a fight," Machado confessed.
Machado stressed that he did two training sessions the day before weigh-in.
"I did one in the morning and another in the afternoon when I regularly do nothing. Maybe I do something light, maybe. That drained me for the day of the fight. I felt tired," said Machado.
"We are going to make a rematch. I will prepare myself thoroughly and recover the championship, I assure you. Cancio is not the type of boxer who can knock me out. Never and ever. It will be better if Cancio can enjoy the title while he can. My goal is to recover my championship, but I will take into account what the doctors tell me. I cane make the weight well, the problem was I made it late."