Amy Green weighs in on the weigh-in

In October I sat a few feet away from the dais at the Jose Luis Castillo/Diego Corrales II press conference at the beautiful Wynn Las Vegas. As Diego waited his turn to speak, he had a bowl of grapes in front of him which promoter Gary Shaw swatted away. He needn’t have. Come weigh-in time, we remember the story – Castillo was somewhat over the limit and Diego made the weight. The afternoon of the Corrales/Castillo weigh-in, I was an hour or so away in Laughlin, Nevada for the weigh in for “A Ring of Their Own,” the all women’s boxing series. All 10 girls made weight and the event somewhat resembled a lingerie fashion show. Today I weighed in at Honeycutt Gym at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma and OH MY GOD – I am a 45-year-old, 5’5¾ super middleweight. Wearing a ripped ChromeLink t-shirt and baggy sweats. Otis Gentry, who has taken over (somewhat reluctantly) in attempting to train me where Clarence Dewberry left off when the boxing gym closed, remained calm and diplomatic. “I see we’ve got some work to do,” he said, and proceeded to tell me how we would achieve getting me to near welterweight.

When I started out at the boxing gym five years ago I always said my goal was to weigh as little as Grady Brewer. And I have been able to realize that goal. Now it seems I am starting over. New gym, five years older, occasional bad attitude. So when Judah and Mayweather weigh in this Friday, I will be in a panic. It’s my husband’s birthday weekend. That means lots of beer drinking, Harley riding and dining at the restaurant of his choice. Thank God I’m not a real fighter – Gary Shaw swatting a drink out of my hand could result in injury to somebody, and make Marc Ratner’s remaining days at the Nevada Commission interesting indeed. But visions of Otis Gentry holding the computer printed slip of paper with my weight on it will dance in my head as I peruse a Red Lobster menu or even consider a drink with whipped cream on it. And a thousand or so miles away, Floyd Jr. and Zab will step on the scales and it will be announced, LOUDLY, as is the custom, for the entire room of assembled media, promoters and other important people, what each fighter weighs.

Next Thursday, I will stand in front of Otis Gentry in his office and be weighed. This is to be a weekly procedure from now until I make my welterweight goal. Unlike a Vegas weigh-in, there will be no lingerie (I’m hardly in shape for that!), photographers or entourages present. Otis will SILENTLY hand me the slip of paper and the date will be written on the back. It will go on my refrigerator door, secured by a magnet that reads “It’s Good to be the Queen.” This ritual will be repeated as often as is necessary for me to achieve the desired weight limit. When that day arrives, Mary Ann Owen and Tom Casino will be on hand to snap photos as I take Otis Gentry out to dinner….

Amy Green writes for The Sweet Science