By Terence Dooley
Alex Arthur has been ruled out of a proposed fight in October after receiving the results of a recent blood test. Arthur also admitted that he could be out until early-2010. The Scot has only fought once this year – a one-round blowout of Mohamed Benbiou in July.
Alex, 31, lost his WBO super-featherweight title on points to Nicky Cook last September. Defeat hit the Edinburgh fight hard; he has told The Scotsman that this latest blow is a huge setback.
“I was really looking forward to getting my quest for a world lightweight title fight on the road in October but now, until I get to the bottom of my problems, I can't say for sure when I will next fight,” he claimed.
“Maybe once I've been to the Royal Infirmary for further tests then I'll know better about my future ring plans but my health is paramount, especially in boxing where anything less than 100 per cent fitness is no good. This couldn't have happened at a worse time and I now don't even know if I'll be fit to fight in December as previously planned.”
Arthur is gunning for the lightweight world title; however, his recent form has not been good enough to push him towards the world belts. A showdown with John Murray, Gavin Rees or fellow Scotsman Lee McAllister would go a long way to proving that Alex still has what it takes to reach the top.
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