Ryan-Haikali is Off, Haikali Fails His Medical

By Elliot Foster

Dave Ryan will have to wait a little longer before lacing up the gloves again.

The Derby super lightweight, 32, was scheduled to fight for the vacant Commonwealth title in Leeds tonight.

Ryan (17-9, 4 KOs) had been set to come up against Namibia’s Martin Haikali (18-6, 6 KOs) for the belt at the First Direct Arena, as part of the undercard to Josh Warrington’s WBC International featherweight title defence against Japan’s Hisashi Amagasa.

But the fight, which was for the crown recently relinquished by John Wayne Hibbert, has had to be canned after it emerged that Haikali had an open cut on his arm and was unable to pass a medical as a result.

The show, ‘The Warrior Returns’, will go ahead as planned, with live Sky Sports coverage in the UK beginning at 8pm.