LEE HASKINS is the new IBF world bantamweight champion after Randy Caballero failed to make weight for their proposed showdown tomorrow. The British fighter – previously the Interim champion – kept his end of the bargain by coming in half-a-pound under the 118lb divisional limit before Caballero hit the scales at a whopping 123 l/2lbs.
It was immediately announced that Caballero, who made no effort to lose extra weight, would be stripped of the title. It has since been confirmed that Haskins has been elevated to world champion after turning down the chance to face the American in a catch-weight contest.
“It made no sense to do that,” Haskins’ manager, Jamie Sanigar, told Boxing News. “If Lee had lost he wouldn’t have kept the world title. This way, we’ve got the world title, and we can go back home and look at our options.”
The matter of Haskins’ purse remains unresolved, and Sanigar plans to “sit down and negotiate” with Golden Boy but accepted it was highly unlikely that his fighter would receive the contracted pay because he refused – rightly – to fight.
“Lee was disappointed when I told him what was happening,” Sanigar continued. “I told him the fight was off but then in the next sentence I’m telling him he’s a world champion. It’s a strange one to process.”
Sanigar also revealed that Caballero’s team approached him with immediately afterwards claiming that he went to bed last night weighing just 119lbs but woke up this morning four pounds heavier.
“That’s just impossible,” Sanigar said. “What do you say to that?”
