The highly-anticipated undisputed junior middleweight world title clash between champion Jermell ‘Iron Man’ Charlo 35-1-1 (19) and mandatory challenger Tim ‘The Soul Taker’ Tszyu 21-0 (15) has been postponed.
American Charlo, 32, reportedly broke his left hand in two places, according to his promoter Premier Boxing Champions.
The bout had been scheduled to take place at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada on January 28.
WBC, WBA, WBO and IBF champion suffered an injury between the pinkie and ring finger and at the base of the thumb after landing a punch in sparring at his gym in Houston on Tuesday.
After visiting two doctors and a hand specialist in Houston, his hand has been placed in a cast. It will remain in a cast for two months and after it is removed, he will begin rehabilitation before resuming his training.
It now seems the Tszyu fight will not take place until the northern summer.
“I was sparring and I threw this nice punch and as soon as it landed, I knew something was wrong. I felt my hand throbbing right away,” said Charlo.
“I had two X-rays and an MRI to see what was wrong. It showed it was broken in two places. I hate this feeling. My hand will be in a cast for two months. I’m as disappointed as the fans, maybe more, because this was my first chance to defend the undisputed title.
“The way I am, I would have beaten Tim Tszyu with one hand, but the doctors and the boxing commission won’t allow that. It’s even more dangerous when a lion faces adversity and has to come back to defend the pride.
“I’ve been training since July and I’ve been hitting harder than ever, and these are the things that happen when you push yourself to the limits. After my hand heals, I’m coming back stronger than ever to defend my legacy.”
Australian Tszyu, 28, was disappointed at the news, but vowed to continue on boxing while Charlo goes through his rehabilitation.
“I’m very disappointed,” Tszyu said. “I felt like the stars aligned for undisputed… but we move on. I’m ready to take on the next mandatory challenger. I’ll be back for Charlo once he is ready and healed.”
Tszyu, who is currently training in Las Vegas, is now expected to face another opponent on Showtime January 28, possibly for an interim title.
“This is not the news that anyone wants to hear because we’ve been anticipating this fight. But these things happen,” said Tom Brown, president of TGB Promotions.
“Jermell didn’t take the easy route to become the undisputed super welterweight champion, so he knows that nothing comes easy. Tszyu better be ready, because Jermell will be stronger and hungrier than ever when he comes back.”