Adrien Broner, Jovanie Santiago make new limit of 147 pounds
Adrien Broner didn’t have to make 140 pounds after all.
Broner and Jovanie Santiago, who will do battle Saturday at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn. (Showtime), agreed in the 11th hour to adjust the weight limit for their fight to 147 pounds.
Both fighters made that weight Friday, Broner coming in at 146 and Santiago at 145.25.
Broner (33-4-1, 24) will be fighting for the first time since he lost a wide decision to Manny Pacquiao in January of 2019, meaning he will have been out of the ring for more than two years.
He has said he has renewed focus on his boxing career and reportedly lost 35 pounds.
Adrien Broner (left) and Jovanie Santiago on Friday made the adjusted limit of 147 pounds for their fight on Saturday. Amanda Westcott / Showtime
This will be his third consecutive fight at welterweight. He last made 140 when he lost a one-sided decision to Mikey Garcia in July 2017. He outpointed Adrian Granados at 147 fives months earlier, which was his last victory.
Broner, 2-3-1 as a welterweight, presumably will settle into the junior welterweight division going forward.
Santiago (14-0-1, 10 KOs) fought as a welterweight early in his career but the 31-year-old Puerto Rican has been a full-fledged 140-pounder since 2015.
In undercard fights, Dominic Breazeale (20-2, 18 KOs) and Otto Wallin (21-1, 14 KOs) weighed 261.25 and 240.5, respectively, for their scheduled 12-round heavyweight fight.
And, in a 12-round junior welterweight bout, Robert Easter (22-1-1, 14 KOs) and Ryan Martin (24-1, 14 KOs) weighed 139.75 and 139.5.