By Rafael Soto

Mexican boxer Luis "Pantera" Nery received the green light for his rematch fight against Japan's Shinsuke Yamanaka. He weighed in at 126.7 pounds; after reaching an agreement where he was unable to weigh more than 128 pounds on the afternoon of the fight.

Yesterday at the official weigh-in ceremony, Nery was very overweight after coming on his first attempt at 123 pounds, five pounds above the 118-pound limit, while the challenger Yamanaka scored 117.5 pounds.

Nery returned almost two hours later with a second attempt and came in at 121 pounds - which forced the World Boxing Council to strip him of the title.

The final weigh-in took place eight hours before their rematch is scheduled to take place. It went down at the offices of the Japan Boxing Commission in the city of Tokyo, and WBC supervisor Duane Ford was present.

The world title is only at stake for Yamanaka. It will be vacant if Nery wins or the contest ends in a draw.

Last year, Nery knocked out Yamanaka in four rounds to capture the WBC crown. A rematch was ordered after Nery tested positive for a banned substance. The WBC allowed Nery to keep the title, because the substance in question is often found in contaminated meat in Mexico.

The second match between Nery (25-0, 19 KOs) and Yamanaka (27-1-2, 19 KOs) will take place at the Sumo Stadium in Tokyo's Kokugikan neighborhood and Aztecadeportes.com will broadcast the match live from 4:45 am, CdMx time and Saturday March 3 for Azteca 7, La Casa del Boxeo.