Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva’s return to the boxing ring has some controversy as his opponent Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. missed weight on Friday.
The headlining boxing match at Tribute to the Kings had a weight limit of 182 pounds, which was exactly what Silva weighed when he stepped on the scale. His opponent Chavez Jr., however, came in heavy at 184.4 pounds.
Tribute to the Kings takes place on Saturday, June 19 at Jalisco Stadium in Guadalajara. The pay-per-view main card is set to go live at 9:00 p.m. ET, while the undercard will stream at 7:00 p.m. ET on FITE and beIN Sports.
As a result of the weight miss, Chavez Jr. will forfeit $100,000 of his purse, which will go to Silva, MMA Junkie confirmed.
Following the events on the scale, Silva released the following statement, along with a video on Instagram:
Well guys, I’ve been a combat sports professional for over 20 years. I’ve always accomplished my duties inside and outside of the ring. The contractual weight for tomorrow’s fight is 182lbs, which I accomplished through months of hard work alongside my team. Unfortunately my opponent came in at 184.4lbs. Despite this, I will still put on a great show for you all
Chavez Jr. has a history of blunders on the scale. He missed weight by five pounds for his bout against Danny Jacobs in 2019.
Despite the weight miss, the bout will proceed as scheduled on Saturday evening.
Anderson Silva releases statement, receives $100k following Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.’s weight miss