Horn calls out promoter’s ‘tricks’ after mad scramble to lose weight
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Jeff Horn has accused promoters Top Rank of playing "tricks" with the official scales after failing to make the weight at the first attempt for his mandatory world title defence against Terence Crawford.
In a dramatic weigh-in on Saturday morning, Horn was given an extra hour to come under the welterweight limit after initially being over the limit, clocking 148 pounds (67.13kg) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Horn then took off his underwear and was still over at 147.5 pounds (66.9kg).
When he returned, he tipped the scales at 147 pounds (66.67kg) — right on the limit — after taking a hot shower to lose the excess weight of approximately 200g.
Had he gone over the weight again he would have been stripped on the spot of his WBO welterweight title.
Horn said he had tested his weight earlier on the official set of scales provided to his team by Top Rank, alleging the Bob Arum-run company, who are the promoters for Crawford, had sabotaged him.
"I knew this was coming," he said.
"I think there was a bit of tricks up their sleeve with this one, because he was just underweight and I was just over.
"There was a bit of play with the scales, we thought we'd calibrated our scales to the correct weight but they've tricked us."
Top Rank's Brad Jacobs flatly denied Horn's claims.
"Guys are overweight. Could have gone the same way for Crawford," he said.
Horn was one of three fighters on the card who missed the weight.
The Nevada State Athletic Commission only weighs fighters by the half-pound, meaning Horn may have actually been under marginally the limit the first time around.
Horn has struggled to make weight previously but his camp was supremely confident about his preparation, saying he was in the best shape of his life and woke up needing to lose only 1kg on Saturday.
Horn said he was not stressed at all by what happened.
"I could see face-to-face with Terence he was a bit rattled. He's shaking. I'm calm. I'm fine," he said.
"I think they think I'm a bit mentally weaker than I actually am.
"This stuff's all part of it, I know it."
Crawford had no weigh-in troubles, coming in at 146.5 pounds (66.45kg).
AAP
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