by Johnny Walker
WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. surprised onlookers by weighing in today one pound lighter than challenger Sergio Martinez during a tense meeting at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas.
Martinez weighed in first, coming in at 159 pounds. The Argentinian veteran seemed extremely jacked up, posturing in bodybuilder poses to show off his rippling physique for the admiring Argentinian fans in attendance.
Chavez then stepped on the scales, considerably more subdued than Martinez as he weighed in a pound lighter at a solid 158. The two men then posed for the traditional stare-down, and again it was Martinez who was the aggressor, yapping in Junior’s face and pulling theatrical faces.
Finally, the fighters were separated, as it appeared things could become physical at any moment.
Afterwards, HBO’s Max Kellerman asked Martinez what he said to Chavez.
“I said, ‘Tomorrow’s gonna be a war because *I* want the war,'” Martinez explained.
“I’m gonna punish him, I’m gonna hit him — it feeds me.”
After being cheered by the Argentinian fans, an emotional Martinez said, “I will give my life to win,” for Argentina.
Chavez explained to Kellerman that, “I told [Martinez] I was gonna be here tomorrow. He said he was gonna rip my head off.”
On the surprising fact that he weighed in lighter than Martinez, Chavez was coy: “I worked hard on my diet and I’m better than ever,” he said.
“Tomorrow I’m gonna be the best middleweight champion in the world.”