Barwick’s weight was announced as 126 pounds, but she says the official weight is 125.8. Either way, she was able to eat the day before and still make weight. Novas reportedly came in at 127.4 pounds, which is over the featherweight limit but within the weight allowance.
Novas and her team seemed dismissive of Barwick during the weigh-in. Barwick was there alone as her team, Jimmy Sosa and Nisa Rodriguez, were stuck in New York because of the massive storm that dumped nearly two feet of snow on the city. Barwick’s flight was also delayed, but she managed to get another one after much trouble to make it down to Santo Domingo.
The fighters were forced to wait to weigh in as an official arrived hours late. Barwick, who is converting to Orthodox Judaism, was asked to take off her NYC Cops & Kids windbreaker before she stepped onto the scale. She preferred to observe tzniut and keep it on but had to bow to the commission’s demands. During her conversion journey, Barwick has been mindful to dress more modestly than in the past. She has been working with Rabbi Steinmetz and Rabbi Feldman at Kehilath Jeshurun on the Upper East Side in Manhattan through the process.
After the weigh-in, she downed some kosher Korean BBQ jerky from Holy Jerky and added hummus and pita. She consumed a liter and a half of water on the thirty minute ride back to her hotel where she ate a meal of salmon and steamed vegetables brought to her by the kosher concierge from the Santo Domingo Chabad.
After eating, she spoke to The Jewish Boxing Blog on the phone as she broke in her new light pink shoes courtesy of Adams Boxing. She sounded ready for the fight, charged by the disrespect shown from Novas and her team at the weigh-in and a tumultuous breakup last year.