Darren Till’s triumphant return to Liverpool isn’t currently going the way he wanted.
The 25-year old up and comer missed weight this morning after a reported family emergency took time away from his weight cut last night. While the main event between he and Thompson will still go ahead, the entire affair has gone some way to dampen the enthusiasm for what was touted as a historic event.
Certainly, Till himself feels the pressure of his mistakes — and not just the ones up to now. For Thompson to accept the contest, Till is obligated to be no heavier than 188-pounds tomorrow at 1pm. And speaking with MMAJunkie.com after the ceremonial weigh-ins this afternoon, the Scouser admits that’s not as easy a feat as it might sound.
“I missed weight, and I’m truly embarrassed by it, but the fight’s still on hopefully,” Till said. “I’ve got to weigh in again tomorrow. We’ll see how it goes. I know they’re very adamant I’ve got to weigh a certain weight.
“The ball’s in their court. Listen, I offered 100 percent of my purse. Money is no object. Money is no object. Money will come sooner than later. I offered 100 percent, and they were adamant I had to weigh in 83-85 kilo [182-187 pounds], which is just – it’s bad for me health,” Till said. “We’ll see what happens in the morning when I weigh. I’ve already started drinking. I’ve already started filling back up.
“So we’ll see, I’m sure the fight’s on. I’m gonna have to work miracles. I’ll have to train tonight or tomorrow, but I’m not arsed. I’m mentally prepared for anything. Nothing gets to me in this life. If I do have to train in the morning to make the weight and cut again, I’ll do it.”
While Thompson’s team haven’t ruled out competing should Till exceed the target weight tomorrow, it does add an unnecessary level of drama to fight day — a time in which fighters should usually be recovering from, not continuing weight cuts.
“Eighty-five kilo tomorrow morning is just not enough,” Till said. “It’s not that it’s not enough. It’s not that I’m sitting there gorging, I just put weight on so quick. I’ve got a slow metabolism. I just started drinking before, and it went up like that. So, we’ll see. We will see. It could be a mind game, I know he’s speaking to his nutritionist. So we’ll see. If I have to make the weight, I’ll make it.”
