Quillin-Zerafa at 163 lb catch-weight

0
1294

Peter Quillin - Andy LeePeter Quillin and Michael Zerafa headline the Sept. 12 afternoon Premier Boxing Champions card on NBC. According to promoter Lou DiBella, the fight will be held at a catch-weight of 163 pounds.

This doesn’t come as a surprise as the former champion came in overweight for his latest fight in April against current WBO middleweight titleholder Andy Lee.

Quillin, who vacated the WBO title nearly a year ago, fought Lee to a draw.

When asked by myself if he is considering a move to the super-middleweight division, Quillin admitted that it’s inevitable.

“Yes,” Quillin said. I’m getting to that point where I feel like that’s going to be on the horizon. I’ve been the same weight since I was 18 years old, and now I’m 32. I think in my near future, I will be up to 168-pounds.”

Quillin’s answer to that question triggered Boxing Scene’s David P. Greisman to follow up with an even better question.

“Lou, what is the weight limit for this fight?” Greisman asked.

Quillin ended up responding for DiBella.

“I think it is 163 pounds,” Quillin said.

If Quillin is going to fight as high as 163 lbs., what does this mean for the fight with WBA champion Daniel Jacobs?

Jacobs, who has been pushing to fight Quillin for some time, is tentatively scheduled to face his rival in December at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, where both fighters currently reside.

While Jacobs is a native New Yorker, Quillin is originally from Chicago.

The Zerafa fight is more of an elementary school pre-test for Quillin, but don’t count out Zerafa. He knows the odds are against him, so he’s going to put everything on the line on fight night.

If Quillin is comfortable fighting above 160, Quillin could theoretically fight Jacobs around 163 and still fight for Jacobs’s WBA title if the commission allows it.

If Quillin doesn’t perform well, he’s going to have to find a way to get comfortable again fighting as a middleweight, or he’s really not going to go anywhere.