Tommy Ward’s highly-anticipated WBA top 15 showdown with Leonardo Padilla has been postponed.
The unbeaten Co Durham talent has suffered a cut in training, putting him out of the Saturday, November 13 blockbuster at Houghton.
Promoter, Phil Jeffries, who stages the event in association with MTK Global, says the show will still go on, with the Northern Area light-welterweight championship derby between Terence Wilkinson and Jordan Ellison as the headline act.
It is a blow for Ward, who was hoping to break into the world top 10 at featherweight with a win over the Venezuelan in the 10-rounder at Rainton Arena.
But coach Neil Fannan and manage by Dave Garside hope it is a temporary set-back. Very temporary, with Fannan telling punch-lines it is NOT a repeat of the horrific injury sustained in October last year in a technical draw with Thomas Essomba in Peterborough.
Ward did fight again for eight months after that but Fannan hopes the absence will be measured in weeks this time.
“We are confident the fight can get re-scheduled,” he said.
“Padilla has been OK about it and seems bang up for coming over to box Tommy.
“Tommy was a bit deflated after it happened but he’ll be in the gym today working hard and it’s still full steam ahead.
“It’s not a bad cut or deep or anything like that, it was just in a bad place.
“Tommy was sparring Reece Mould and he got a nick on his eyelid. It wasn’t a bad one, but it swelled up and it wasn’t worth taking any risks with it.
“This is a huge opportunity and we want everything to be right.”
Padilla is the World Boxing Association’s fifth rated featherweight with Ward having come into the rankings at 11.
There is no eliminator status to the contest, but it is vital to both boxers – a Ward win would catapult him into the top 10 while a Padilla victory would almost certainly move him up further.
There are still eight bouts listed for the show, now topped by the Tyne-Wear scrap between unbeaten Geordie Wilkinson and Seaham’s Ellison.
Popular Newcastle fighter, Joe Laws, is in action, along with Joe Maphosa, back after his English title defeat in September.
Adam Cope, Sam Menzies and Jordan Barker-Porter continue their fledgling careers while there is a debut for Newcastle’s Nathan Commiskey.
Elsewhere there is an international super-bantamweight battle for one of MTK’s prospects as Stoke’s Shabaz Masoud takes on Argentina’s Diego Alberto Ruiz.
Words: Roy Kelly Picture: Mark Robinson/ Matchroom
