This evening’s Premier Boxing Champions card on NBC will now feature two non-title fights at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Andy Lee vs. Peter Quillin, which was supposed to be for Lee’s WBO middleweight title, is no longer at stake. Quillin weighed in on Friday approximately 1.4 pounds above the limit at 161.4 lbs.
The former WBO middleweight champion Quillin was given two hours to drop the weight, but was unable to do so. As a result, his shot at regaining the world championship he vacated, was eliminated.
Quillin, 31, took responsibility for the mishap in an interview with Fight News.
“What can I say? I didn’t make weight. I want to apologize to Andy Lee and to all my supporters and fans. I made every effort to make weight, but it just wasn’t meant to be, and I have no one else to blame but myself. I may not win a title tomorrow, but I still have a fight to win, and I still plan to put on a good performance. I promise to use this as a learning experience for the future. God bless.”
Although Quillin cannot win the title, I still think he will win the fight. On the other hand, it’s unclear whether Quillin will stay in the middleweight division. Sometimes when a boxer has trouble making weight, it’s a sign that they are ready to move up a decision, although this may or may not be the case.
If Quillin moves up to super middleweight, his 6’1 height is going to be an advantage. In fact, Quillin started his professional career as a super middleweight but went down to middleweight after having some struggles. Now as a polished veteran, perhaps he has the power to make a difference at 168.
