“My power … I have enough power to knock someone out.” @bivol_d is READY to defend his title. #BivolSmithJrhttps://t.co/j4BIUf4XnH pic.twitter.com/eaJmXuLUxf
— DAZN USA (@DAZN_USA) March 8, 2019
The main event between Dmitry Bivol and Joe Smith Jr. will go on as planned, as both combatants made weight on Friday.
Bivol (15-0, 11 KOs) is set to make the fourth defense of the WBA light heavyweight title he won in November 2017. The Kyrgyzstani champ has been conquering everybody, including Isaac Chilemba and, most recently, Jean Pascal. The 28-year-old fighter was on point at the official weigh-ins on Friday; he came in at 173.5 pounds.
Smith (24-2, 20 KOs) is primed for his first world title challenge and the Long Island, New York, native was equally sculpted on the scale. Smith is coming off an impressive knockout of Melvin Russell in June and hopes to capture boxing gold on Saturday. Smith came in at 173 pounds.
The co-feature will pit reigning WBO junior welterweight champ Maurice Hooker against Mikkel LesPierre (21-0-1, 10 KOs). While the challenger clocked in at 138.75 pounds, Hooker came in a half pound heavy for the 140-pound limit. Hooker (25-0-3, 17 KOs) has two hours as of this writing to make weight or else the WBO will strip him of his title.
The action goes down live on DAZN at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT from inside Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona, New York.