The title shot of Filipino lefty Jerwin Ancajas will have to wait in the meantime.
Ancajas was supposed to battle defending champion Takuma Inoue for the World Boxing Association bantamweight crown on 15 November in Tokyo.
But Inoue’s promotional outfit announced on Saturday that the Japanese titleholder suffered an injury during training.
It could not be determined when will be the rescheduled date but since Ohashi Promotions is staging a big show featuring Naoya Inoue against Filipino southpaw Marlon Tapales on 26 December, there is a possibility the fight could end up taking place on that day.
But the most likely scenario is a fight happening in January or February 2024 as Inoue would need to have his rib examined and treated for about a month before being allowed to resume training.
Ancajas, who made nine successful defenses of the International Boxing Federation super-flyweight from 2016 until 2022, is no stranger to postponements and cancellations.
He was scheduled to meet Kazuto Ioka several years ago but the fight was scrapped when Japan ordered a lockdown owing to the coronavirus pandemic.
Ancajas has been training diligently in Las Vegas the past few months and was slated to travel to Tokyo early next month to get used to the local conditions.
The postponement should mess up Ancajas’ training camp but he and lead trainer Joven Jimenez are expected to reprogram everything once they are informed of the new date.
It is unlikely that Ancajas will take on a tuneup match and will just wait for the new date of his title crack.
Inoue was supposed to make the first defense of the WBA 118-lb title he had won last April.
Presently, the Philippines has only one world champion in Tapales, who reigns as WBA and IBF 122-lb titleholder.
