The weigh-in for tonight’s boxing card at Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California, was not without surprise Thursday as Roberto Garcia was hospitalized for an illness and scratched from his fight against Shawn Porter.
Shawn Porter hit the target for his 147-pound bout Friday night, but opponent Roberto Garcia was scratched.
Porter weighed in at just over 146 pounds in his turn on the scale, but his opponent for the 147-pound bout was absent from the proceedings.
Garcia had to be hospitalized Thursday morning, and was replaced on the card by Ecuadorian fighter Erick Bone, who flew cross-country to California on Thursday night.
Andy Foster, executive director of the California State Athletic Commission, confirmed that Bone weighed in at 9 a.m. Friday at a special contractual weight of 149 pounds for what will be a 12-round fight. Porter and Bone will wear 10-ounce gloves.
Porter (24-1-1, 15 KOs) was to face Garcia (36-3, 23 KOs) at 9 p.m. ET today in the co-main event of the Premier Boxing Champions series debut on Spike TV.
The news of Garcia’s illness caught Porter by surprise at the weigh-in.
“I’m just going to treat this like it’s a tournament, because when you’re in a tournament, you don’t know who you’re going to fight,” Porter said. “You just get into the ring, and you make the adjustments and do what you do. We’ll move forward.”
The Porter-Garcia bout had shaped up as an intriguing matchup given that they had been sparring partners in the past.
The 26-year-old Bone (16-1, 8 KOs) has won four consecutive fights since losing a 12-round split decision to then-unbeaten Alberto Mosquera in October 2013.
“I can say that I’m disappointed, because I expected [Garcia] to come in here and to put forth a great fight,” Porter said. “But I’ve got to move forward. It’s a personal challenge for me.”
For the card's other co-main event between two-time world champion Andre Berto (29-3, 22 KOs) and veteran contender Josesito Lopez (33-6, 19 KOs), both men weighed in under the 147-pound limit for their fight.
“As you could see, I made weight easily. I’m looking good, and my body is shining, so you know that I’m not dried out,” Berto said. “[Lopez] made weight, but he still looked a little soft. I’m just focused and ready for tomorrow night. This is right here is for us to get.”
Heavyweight title contender Chris Areola (35-4, 31 KOs) and Curtis Harper (12-3, 8 KOs) weighed 262 and 265 pounds, respectively, for their fight.
