In an NABF cruiserweight title fight hyped up with bad blood featuring Yahya McClain versus Lou Del Valle less than two weeks away, Del Valle has been sidelined by an apparent back injury. According to the Del Valle camp the injury occurred while he was training this past weekend. A doctors analysis has not been performed and is currently scheduled for Wednesday. McClain senses something fishy in the works. “How can a man be injured so severely that he can’t fight, but hasn’t even gone to see a doctor yet?” McClain told Fightnews Tuesday afternoon. Stepping in to fill the void is 35 year old Jason Robinson (18-5 11KO) of the Chicago area. Robinson is a viable, and experienced challenge for McClain being that he’s duked it out with world champions James Toney, Ezra Sellers, and O’Neal Bell in the past.
Said McClain “Jason is a tough guy and I must be ready to face him, just as I was going to be for Del Valle. I know the guy is coming into my hometown to upset me and my fans, but it’s not going to happen. Nothing or no one can stand in my way of capturing a world title in the cruiserweight division in 2010.” The title fight will be held at Wild Bills in Duluth GA, just north of Atlanta on April 17th. For more information on the entire fight card and tickets click here.
Lou Del Valle didn’t see a doctor immediately as he tried to nurse his injury back to health so he could stay in the fight that he and so many wanted to see happen and he STILL wants to see happen. Lou lost 55 lbs in 5 1/2 weeks for his last fight in October to fight a guy ranked 15th in the world in his hometown and received a controversial draw. There is nothing fishy about his injury as he has never pulled out of a fight in his entire career. He is getting paid the same for this fight as he did for his last one and this is for a belt against a guy who isn’t even ranked.
Hey, that’s fine.
But he really lost 55 lbs in 5 weeks! Oh my God! Is that even healthy???
So he weighed in for the fight at 200 lbs; but only a 5.5 weeks prior you are saying he ballooned to 255 lbs!
As someone over 40 years old….there’s simply NO WAY that losing 55 lbs in 5 1/2 weeks as someone of his age is healthy! WOW!
Since some of the facts seem to have been missed, I will certainly clarify. Lou weighed in at 185 lbs for this fight against Joey Spina, a top 15 ranked opponent, not 200 lbs (as erroneously stated above). While losing that much weight is of course not healthy for a person, if done properly, and with the right team around them, the fighter can/will stay healthy as Lou did (hence the results of a controversial draw in his opponents hometown). All it takes is hard work and dedication from a fighter who wants something that’s in front of them. When that situation presents itself you would be amazed what your body and mind can do. Perhaps you have heard of a fighter named Ricky Hatton aka Ricky Fatton. He regularly lost 40 lbs before every fight. In some cases that would mean he was losing 120 lbs a year. That certainly can’t be healthy but I don’t know many who will say he looked unhealthy as they watched him fight and win.