In combat sports weigh ins are usually a calm event where fighters strip down to their undies to make weight, face off and re-hydrate afterward ahead of their bouts. While you do have your occasional shoving and headbutts, for the most part it’s a pretty relaxed and sometimes boring affair.
While Teofimo Lopez and Shakur Stevenson were getting prepped to tip the scales ahead of their WBO and The Ring Light Welterweight title fight inside Madison Square Garden this Saturday (Jan. 31) in New York City, there was a lot of tension boiling over backstage and in the crowds involving several prolific members of the boxing community.
While backstage, Stevenson got into a war of words with Teofimo Lopez Sr. regarding a weight issue. The two men hurled insults at one another before cooler heads prevailed and Lopez Sr. made his way to another room with no further incident.
A bit later, Lopez Sr. was once again in the center of another verbal scuffle, this time with none other than Terence Crawford, who was visibly upset at Lopez Sr.’s dance moves right in front of him while showing off his son’s titles. “Bud” could be seen very agitated to the point where we got into his elder’s face. The face-to-face confrontation seemed to calm him down a bit, though he was quick to start dancing around again once Crawford made his way back to his seat.
Moments later, all hell broke loose in the crowd after Bill Haney — Devin Haney’s father — and the rest of his team got into a scuffle with Delante “Tiger” Johnson and his team. All of this while Devin was giving an interview with The Ring just steps away.
That brawl did not end there, however, as chaos once again erupted in the hallway between the two camps:
Order was eventually restored and the fighters who are actually competing tomorrow night successfully made weight. There has been a lot of tension between the Lopez and Stevenson camps all week, so it will be interesting to see if that leads to an entertaining bout come fight night.
Soon after the chaotic storm passed, a rep reached out to MMAmania on behalf of MSG Family of companies and explained that anyone involved in the multiple brawls could be facing potential lifetime bans as spectators and participants at future events across all properties.
“Violence will not be condoned at MSG across any type of event including, hockey, basketball, boxing, concerts, or special events,” read the statement. “If any individual is found to participate in violent activity, whether you are part of the event, or a patron, you will be banned for life and unable to attend or participate in any event across all our venues.”
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