Jason Cook, the 27-year-old south Wales boxer, lost his European Lightweight Championship title a day before he even entered the ring.

Cook, due to fight Stefano Zoff of Italy on Saturday at Bridgend Recreation Centre came in 2lbs too heavy at a tense weigh-in at Cardiff's Old Library on Friday.

He was given two hours to go away and lose the weight, but when he went back on the scales, he was found still to be 1.5lbs too heavy.

Boxing officials said that Cook will still fight on Saturday, but win or lose, he will be stripped of his title.

The scales at the weigh-in

Robert Smith, Asssistant General Secretary of the British Boxing Board of Control explained: "The contest will go ahead."

"Unfortunately the fact that Jason hasn't fulfilled the requirement to make the weight means that if he were to win the contest, the championship will become vacant.

"If Zoff were to win the contest, he would become champion, because he has fulfilled the requirement to make the weight.

"And if it's a draw, then it will still become vacant," he said.

Hardest

Mr Smith said; "Jason has been having check weights at the board offices over the last month and nobody thought anything would happen like this. He's been coming down quite nicely for weight.

"But the last couple of pounds are just the hardest to get off. That's the way it goes," he added.

Cook would not comment, but his trainer, Bryan Evans was clearly distressed, saying what had happened was: "unbelievable."

He said: "We don't know what went wrong. It (the weight) was right last night."

Cook rose to prominence after he snatched the title in August last year, taking the European lightweight fight at short-notice against Sandro Casamonica of Italy.

He wasn't expected to win, but beat Casamonica in the the third round.

He was knocked down himself, then got up and delivered a punch that Boxing News named as: "Punch of the year."

He defended the title in Maesteg in October against Nasser Lakrib of France, stopping him in five rounds.

Punching postman

Jason and his trainer had expected to defend the title a couple more times, before trying for the World Lightweight Championship title.

In his home town of Maesteg, Jason had been known as the punching postman, because he used to work for the post office, before he went professional.

And at Pencoed Prison, where he trained throughout a prison sentence for fraud, more than 40 inmates were planning to pack the television room and watch the fight.

Prison officer Martin Beavan, who sparred with him and helped to train him during his sentence, had a ringside seat booked for the fight.

He described Cook's commitment to boxing during his sentence as: "inspirational."