While making no excuses, GH3 does make note of Clarkson being unable to make the contracted weight of 168 pounds. Clarkson weighed in at 172 pounds and lost $1700 of his purse. Odom tipped the scales at the super middleweight limit of 168 pounds.
According to the press release, Clarkson was only supposed to be 10 pounds over the contracted weight and could not come in over 180 at the morning-after weigh-in. However, Clarkson once again was overweight at 185 pounds. Odom was 173 pounds.
When they stepped on the unofficial scale just a few hours before the fight, Odom was 176 pounds while Clarkson was at 190 pounds.
GH3 Promotions President Vito Mielnicki, while taking nothing away from the result of the bout, says in the press release that he made a bad business decision and shoulders the blame on himself for letting Odom go through with the contest.
"I should have cut the fight at the weigh in but I let my fighter make the final decision and Jerry wanted to fight. I thought about it but wanted to give Jerry the opportunity to showcase that he is one of the best Super Middleweights out there," said Mielnicki.
"I still believe in Jerry as much if not more then I did before the fight, Mielnicki continued. He showed that he won't back down from anybody. He was in there with a cruiserweight and against my better judgement, I let the fight happen. I signed options with Clarkson and I am looking to do the rematch on television at the proper weight of 168 pounds. If he knew that he would be coming in so over the weight limit, being professional he could have come to us and we could have worked it out so Jerry did not have sweat off the final pounds for the last two days before the weigh in. That was his way of giving himself a better chance to win the fight. Look at some the pre fight pictures and interviews, Jerry was as dried out and drained as he could have got, yet Clarkson looked fresh as a daisy. We will look to have a rematch on television in the next four months."
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