It didn’t come as a major surprise when Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. failed to make the contracted weight, but we still have a fight.

Chavez squares off against former IBF middleweight titleholder Danny Jacobs Friday night at the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. The bout will be streamed live on DAZN (9 p.m. ET/ 6 p.m. PT).

At Thursday’s weigh-in, Chavez tipped the scale at 172.7 pounds, nearly five pounds more than the agreed upon weight of 168. Jacobs (35-3, 29 knockouts) weighed in at 167.7 pounds.

Jacobs did have the option of fighting replacement opponent Gabriel Rosado, who would have been freed up from an undercard bout in the event that Chavez was pulled from the show. However, Jacobs agreed to face Chavez providing he paid a financial penalty – reported to be $1 million.

This is not the first weigh-in controversy that Chavez has been involved in. Days prior to his September 2013 bout against Brian Vera, the contract limit for that bout was changed from 162 pounds to 173 at Chavez’s request.

Chavez (51-3-1, 33 KOs) returned from a two-year hiatus in August, knocking out Evert Bravo in the opening round. In his previous fight in May 2017, Chavez lost to Canelo Alvarez by unanimous decision at a catchweight of 164 pounds.

In the co-feature, the vacant WBC flyweight title will be on the line between Julio Cesar Martinez (14-1-1, 11 KOs) of Mexico City and Nicaragua’s Cristofer Rosales (29-4, 20 KOs).

Martinez weighed in at the limit of 112 pounds, while Rosales weighed 111.3 pounds.

In welterweight action, former WBO junior welterweight titleholder Maurice Hooker (26-1-3, 17 KOs), who weighed 144.3 pounds, will face Mexico’s Uriel Perez (19-4, 17 KOs) in a 10-round bout. Perez weighed 141.9 pounds.

Francisco A. Salazar can be reached by email at [email protected] or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing

SUBSCRIBE NOW (CLICK HERE - JUST $1.99 PER MONTH) TO READ THE LATEST ISSUE