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Calzaghe withdraws from defence
Joe Calzaghe was scheduled to make his 16th title defence
Joe Calzaghe has withdrawn from his WBO super middleweight title defence on 11 February in Manchester.
The Welshman has cited a lack of preparation time for the fight against an unnamed opponent and is scheduled to return in March.
The event will now be headlined by local super featherweight Michael Gomez and is hoped to include amateur boxers.
It will be the first ever pro-am bill and should include the likes of Olympic silver medallist Amir Khan.
However, promoter Frank Warren is still in talks with the Amateur Boxing Association with regard to staging up to four amateur bouts at the MEN Arena.
Gomez's fellow Mancunian Stephen Foster Jnr is also set to contest the WBU featherweight title on the same card.
In his column for the South Wales Argus last week, Calzaghe claimed he would be fighting on 11 February and said that "...rumours that Frank Warren wants the defence to be put back to March and April are just that".
Rough-house fighter Antwun Echols had been in negotiations with the Calzaghe camp, but it now appears the 33-year-old American was unable to agree a deal with Warren.
Scott Pemberton and Mario Veit - who Calzaghe beat in one round almost four years ago - had also been touted as possible foes, but neither would have been suitably exciting to the boxing public.
What a fanny, if he's not pulling out of fights or getting 'injured' they're being postponed, both the Echols and Pemberton fights could have been exciting brawls though it looks as if Frankie boy may have something to do with this but still the fighter should be the boss and have the final say on when he fights
Joe Calzaghe was scheduled to make his 16th title defence
Joe Calzaghe has withdrawn from his WBO super middleweight title defence on 11 February in Manchester.
The Welshman has cited a lack of preparation time for the fight against an unnamed opponent and is scheduled to return in March.
The event will now be headlined by local super featherweight Michael Gomez and is hoped to include amateur boxers.
It will be the first ever pro-am bill and should include the likes of Olympic silver medallist Amir Khan.
However, promoter Frank Warren is still in talks with the Amateur Boxing Association with regard to staging up to four amateur bouts at the MEN Arena.
Gomez's fellow Mancunian Stephen Foster Jnr is also set to contest the WBU featherweight title on the same card.
In his column for the South Wales Argus last week, Calzaghe claimed he would be fighting on 11 February and said that "...rumours that Frank Warren wants the defence to be put back to March and April are just that".
Rough-house fighter Antwun Echols had been in negotiations with the Calzaghe camp, but it now appears the 33-year-old American was unable to agree a deal with Warren.
Scott Pemberton and Mario Veit - who Calzaghe beat in one round almost four years ago - had also been touted as possible foes, but neither would have been suitably exciting to the boxing public.
What a fanny, if he's not pulling out of fights or getting 'injured' they're being postponed, both the Echols and Pemberton fights could have been exciting brawls though it looks as if Frankie boy may have something to do with this but still the fighter should be the boss and have the final say on when he fights
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