By Jake Donovan

A day after being called out for missing his mandatory 30-day safety weight check, reigning featherweight titlist Gary Russell Jr. has come correct.

The 27-year old boxer from the greater Washington D.C. area is due to face Patrick Hyland on April 16 at Foxwoods Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut. With his World Boxing Council (WBC) title comes the responsibility of providing the sanctioning body weight checks both 30 days and 7 days prior to the contest.

Two days after the March 17 deadline, the WBC received the necessary documentation from Russell, who came in at 135-pounds, well within the tolerable limit. WBC-sanctioned boxers cannot weigh more than 10% over the contracted limit 30 days out and no more than 5% over the limit at the seven-day pre-fight mark.

As the April 16 contest takes place in the 126 lb. featherweight division, neither boxer could weigh more than 139-pounds (12.6, or 10% of 126, rounded up to 13-pounds) at the 30-day check.

Hyland (31-1, 15KOs) came in within the limit at a healthy 137.7 lbs. 30 days out, according to the records submitted by WBC inspectors at the necessary deadline. The 32-year old contender from Ireland enters his first full title fight, his lone loss coming at the hands of Javier Fortuna in their Dec. ’12 World Boxing Association (WBA) interim featherweight title fight.

Russell hadn’t submitted his necessary info by that point, but has since complied by the WBC rules, albeit after the deadline.

“We have received his weight, he is 135-pounds,” WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman confirmed to krikya360.com upon inquiry Saturday evening.

Failure to comply with the weight-check stipulation comes in violation of , respectively. Initial rumors suggested Russell was struggling to make weight, but in actuality was traveling and did not properly notify the WBC of his whereabouts in order to submit such results.

The featherweight title fight headlines the April 16 edition of Showtime Championship Boxing. Also included on the show, Jose Pedraza makes the second defense of his International Boxing Federation (IBF) super featherweight title as he faces mandatory challenger Stephen Smith from England.

Neither Pedraza nor Smith are subjected to pre-fight weight checks as the IBF doesn’t (yet) perform such practices. The New Jersey-based sanctioning body, however, does require its boxers to participate in a same-day rehydration weight check, where contestants cannot weigh any more than 10-pounds above contracted limit the morning of the fight.

Both bouts were rescheduled from previously separate dates in March. The idea of a Pedraza vs. Smith was pitched for several planned shows, but ultimately defaulted on a previous agreement Lou DiBella – who promotes Pedraza and Hyland – and Smith’s promoter, Eddie Hearn reached in accordance with IBF rules. The sanctioning body reordered a purse bid, with DiBella serving as the sole bidder after having worked out an agreed upon financial package for Smith’s side.

Russell vs. Hyland was due to land on the eventually canceled March 12 show that would aired live both on free-to-air CBS in primetime and on Showtime – with the featherweight clash landing on the latter end.

The headlining bout was to be Keith Thurman in a welterweight title defense versus Shawn Porter. However, the unbeaten Floridian suffered a car accident and was forced to postpone the bout to June, with its remaining parts now spread out over various cards.

Of the four major fights attached to the card, Russell vs. Hyland was the first to get reassigned, but now officially in jeopardy.

Russell has not fought since his win over Gonzalez. A title defense versus Oscar Escandon was planned for last November, only for Russell to suffer an injury and have to withdraw.  The D.C.-area featherweight was a member of the 2008 U.S. Olympic boxing team, but passed out due to dehydration at the weigh-in the morning of his scheduled opening round fight.

His pro setbacks have come from injuries, while having suffered just one defeat – a 12-round decision to two-time Olympic Gold medalist Vasyl Lomachenko in their June ’14 vacant World Boxing Organization (WBO) featherweight title fight. The latest folly in his career comes on the heels of his 19-year old brother, Gary Antoine Russell being eliminated from competition in the Americas Olympic Qualifiers, with a second chance coming in June in order to make the 2016 U.S. Olympic male boxing team to compete in Rio.

Although Russell has now complied with WBC championship rules, he is still subject to potential penalty as seen fit (if at all) by the sanctioning body. It’s doubtful that any disciplinary action will come of it, other than a stern reminder to not pull a similar stunt at the 7-day checkpoint, where both boxers must weigh no heavier than 133-pounds.

Jake Donovan is the managing editor of krikya360.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox