Emanuel Navarrete v Liam Wilson: Australian threatens to BOYCOTT world title fight

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Underdog Aussie boxer's team sensationally call for opponent to be investigated for CHEATING and claim footage shows scales being tampered with so world champ could make weight

Aussie underdog Liam Wilson is calling for his opponent to be investigated Video shows somebody touching the scales before the fighters weighed in  Click here for all your latest international sports news at Daily Mail Australia 

By Ollie Lewis For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 04:39 EST, 3 February 2023 | Updated: 04:40 EST, 3 February 2023

Liam Wilson and his team have called for an investigation amid a weigh-in scandal ahead of his world title fight against Mexican superstar Emanuel Navarrete. 

Wilson has threatened to boycott his WBO super featherweight scrap after a Commission employee appeared to touch the scales twice before the Queenslander and his rival stepped on the scales on Friday.

The Australian's team are demanding a fight-day meeting with the Arizona State Boxing Commission while his promoter Matt Rose has contacted senior WBO officials to discuss the matter. 


Alarms were raised when Wilson weighed in four pounds below the super featherweight limit of 130 pounds, despite the fact he was just under the weight limit when he weighed himself moments before getting on the stage.

Navarrete, meanwhile, was almost bang on weight at 129.2 pounds, causing Wilson to speculate that the scales had been tampered with and the Mexican was in fact heavier than the official weight. 

Liam Wilson has threatened to boycott his world title fight over a weigh in scandal

Had Navarrete come in heavy, he would not have been able to fight for the vacant WBO belt, meaning only Wilson would have had the chance to win the title.

Wilson's manager, Steve Scanlan, has demanded that Navarrete weighs in for a second time on fight day, at around 4pm.

'And if he doesn't, maybe we don't fight,' Scanlan said via Fox Sports. 'Because we're demanding answers.

'After reviewing footage from the weigh-ins, we want to know why that guy touched the scales at least twice.

'Who is he? What is his role?

An individual was seen tampering with the scales ahead of his fight with Emanuel Navarrete

'I want to know why he touched the scales twice when it doesn't appear to have happened (that often on any of the other weigh-ins) before it.' 

Scanlan added that former fighters Tom Bradley and Andre Ward were also shocked by what they saw. 

'Everyone present in that meeting said 'this is f***d',' he said. 'Timothy Bradley even said the same thing had happened to him previously, too.

'It was in England, and on that occasion they had said Bradley weighed in heavy by two pounds.

'But his trainer, he jumped in straight away and stopped everything.

'They then put a 15 pound weight on the scales and sure enough, it was out.

'So when our weigh-in was brought up on the screen, and you can see that guy touch the scales, then touch it again, everyone was shaking their heads.'

Source: www.dailymail.co.uk
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