By Jake Donovan
Adrien Broner already declared during fight week that Saturday's showdown with Vicente Escobedo will be his last at 130 lb.
The scales dictate that he has no choice but to make good on that promise.
One promise Broner won't be able to keep is that he will leave the ring with his title still intact. The unbeaten super featherweight titlist was a whopping 3.5 lb over the divisional limit for Saturday's main event at the US Bank Arena in his Cincinnati hometown.
Escobedo came in at exactly 130 lb. Updated reports from Cincinnati indicate that the fight will go on as planned, with the title only at stake for Escobedo, who will also pocket an extra $30,000 for agreeing to the revised terms.
The $30,000 amount is 10% of Broner's $300,000 purse. The penalty for Broner failing to meet contracted terms is a 20% fine - the other 10% going to the Ohio Athletic Commission.
Negotiations are still underway for a maximum cap weight for the morning of the fight, or no later than 12 hours prior to fight time.
Broner (23-0, 19KO) won the title last November in the very same hosting venue as Saturday's fight, taking out Vicente Rodriguez in three rounds. His lone successful defense came earlier this year, stopping Eloy Perez in four rounds. Both fights were televised live on HBO.
Escobedo (26-3, 15KO) is still attempting to make the most of a career that has fallen short of lofty expectations following his stint with the 2004 U.S. Olympic boxing squad. His lone appearance on HBO was a lopsided points loss to Robert Guerrero in Nov. '10, though the moment was immediately followed by an in-ring marriage proposal to his then-girlfriend. Escobedo also suffered a loss to Michael Katsidis on the televised undercard portion of an HBO PPV show in Sept. '09.
The televised co-feature pits unbeaten welterweight Keith Thurman against Orlando Lora, with both fighter making their HBO debut. Both weighed in at 147.5 lb, within the contracted limit for their 10-round contest.
Red hot prospect Omar Figueroa will have his fight with Dominic Salcido shown on HBO via tape-delayed clips, air time permitting. Figueroa weighed in at 134.5 lb, considerably lighter than Salcido who tipped the scales at 136.5 for their eight-round lightweight contest.
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of krikya360.com. Follow Jake on Twitter: @JakeNDaBox