An effort by Gustavo Lemos to shake off ring rust has not only failed but could also jeopardize his current contender status.
The unbeaten Argentinean lightweight badly missed weight which killed plans for a bout versus countryman Javier Jose Clavero. The two were due to meet Friday on a TyC Deportes telecast from Estadio Luna Park in Buenos Aires. However, Lemos was pulled from the show after he arrived eight pounds over the contracted limit and was unable to comply with a post weigh-in agreement to weigh 140 pounds.
The rest of the show will proceed without the fight.
Of greater long-term concern is Lemos’ ability to make the lightweight limit. The 27-year-old from Tres Arroyos, Buenos Aires is the IBF mandatory challenger to the title held by lineal and unified lightweight champion Devin Haney (30-0, 15KOs).
Lemos (28-0, 18KOs) earned the ranking after a sixth-round knockout of former featherweight titlist Lee Selby last March 26 at Estadio Luna Park. The win was his last fight to date. The current 17-month inactive stretch included an arrest last July for resisting arrest after police responded to a pre-dawn outdoor disturbance which involved the unbeaten boxer in his Tres Arroyos hometown.
The IBF has not ordered a mandatory lightweight title defense since 2021, when then-unbeaten champ Teofimo Lopez was instructed to face George Kambosos (21-2, 10KOs). The year-long process—which included at least six changed fight dates—ultimately saw Kambosos dethrone Lopez via split decision in their memorable November 2021 battle in New York City.
Haney went on to twice defeat Kambosos last year in Melbourne. Their first clash saw Haney fully unify the lightweight division, when he outpointed Kambosos to defend his WBC title and win the WBA, IBF and WBO belts.
The undisputed reign was since splintered, when Haney opted earlier this summer to proceed with talks to challenge WBC junior welterweight titlist Regis Prograis in lieu of a WBC-ordered title defense versus Shakur Stevenson.
Haney was downgraded to WBC ‘Champion in Recess’ as a result. He still holds the other three belts, though there is growing speculation that he will not return to the division.
Should the belts become available, the IBF will be compelled to order a vacant title fight. It remains to be seen if Lemos is still in the picture—or even the lightweight division—by that point. Kambosos is currently the number-two contender, a position he claimed after a twelve-round, majority decision over Maxi Hughes in their July 22 title eliminator.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox