Calzaghe postpones Jones fight after hand injury

Enlarge Photo Joe Calzaghe is seen in Las Vegas, in this April 19, 2008 file photo. Calzaghe's...

Wed, Jul 23 06:22 AM

LONDON (Reuters) - Joe Calzaghe's planned light-heavyweight fight against Roy Jones Jr of the United States in New York in September was postponed on Tuesday after the Welshman injured his right hand in training.

"Hopefully, there's a suggestion the fight could well go ahead in November," Calzaghe's father and trainer Enzo told the BBC. "It's only been rescheduled, they will fight each other. They want it, TV wants it -- the whole planet wants it.

Calzaghe, unbeaten in 45 bouts, vacated his WBC super-middleweight title to free him up for the duel with the veteran four-weight American boxer at Madison Square Garden on Sept. 20.

The fight, for The Ring magazine's light-heavyweight crown, is likely to bring down the curtain on both men's careers.

Calzaghe, 36, injured his hand hitting a heavy punch bag in training but it is not thought to be career threatening.

"He sprained his wrists on the pads," Enzo Calzaghe told Setanta Sports News. "It's one of those things you never want to happen, but it's happened.

SWOLLEN WRIST

"When he woke up in the morning with a swollen wrist, I looked at it and it looked awful. It is a sad thing, it happened yesterday (Monday) and he needs two or three weeks off before he starts punching again.

"Everybody's gutted about it. Joe's absolutely distraught. What can you do about it? You've got to have common sense in this game. At the end of the day, at this level you need to be safe."

"It's there, the rescheduled date, probably, I'd say. the end of November," he added.

John Wirt, chief executive of Jones Jr's promotional company Square Ring, agreed the fight should take place in November.

"That works for them, so the injury must be something they feel will heal sufficiently by then," he was quoted as saying by the BBC. "Roy is disappointed but he's looking forward to the fight being rescheduled.

"But this may be a blessing in disguise because it gives us more time to promote the fight. We were under the gun putting everything together quickly."

The two boxers were promoting the fight themselves and it was Calzaghe's first self-promoted bout since he split from his long-time manager Frank Warren.

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