By Mark Vester
Taymas Niyazov, ex-manager of WBA heavyweight champion Ruslan Chagaev, claims the fighter is almost legally blind in his left eye, and that is the real reason behind Chagaev withdrawing from his May 31 rematch with Nikolai Valuev.
Niyazov made claims to German paper Bild, that Chagaev was told by doctors after an 2001 operation to correct a detached retina, that his vision would never be the same. The ex-manager claims that he was advised by several sources that Chagaev's vision in the left eye has gotten worse since his last fight with Matt Skelton in January.
Universum's Peter Kohl has denied Niyazov's claims. He says Chagaev passed his annual exam and another that was given by a hospital in Hamburg, which was more than enough for the WBA to permit him to defend against Valuev.
Universum said that Chagaev pulled out due an illness and the fight with Valuev will be rescheduled in the coming days.
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