Gustavo Lemos previously lost his IBF mandatory status by missing weight ahead of a tune-up bout
Gustavo Lemos once squandered the biggest opportunity of his career by blowing up the scale, and now he’s done so again, coming in 6.4 pounds heavy for a scheduled lightweight bout with Keyshawn Davis atop tomorrow’s ESPN+ card in Norfolk, Virginia.
The fight is still on at time of writing, with Davis (11-0, 7 KO) expressing his happiness at receiving a chunk of Lemos’ (29-1, 19 KO) purse.
Lemos earned himself the top spot in the IBF’s lightweight rankings by mauling Lee Selby in a 2022 eliminator, only to spend over a year on the shelf and ultimately lose his status with an even more egregious eight-pound miss before a planned tune-up bout. A subsequent move to 140 saw him defeat Richardson Hitchins in the eyes of everyone but the judges, and despite standing under 5’6”, it seems that staying at junior welterweight may have been the correct choice.
It’s extremely frustrating to watch someone as entertaining and capable as Lemos torch his career due to lack of discipline, though sadly far from the only story of its kind. Assuming Virginia’s athletic commission doesn’t pull the plug, we’ll see what he looks like in the ring tomorrow.
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