According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, the September 6 world Heavyweight title bout between champion Klitschko and Kubrat Pulev is postponed due to Klitschko suffering a bicep tear.
“He had problems on Friday, and he first thought it’s a minor thing, but he went to the hospital near the camp [in Austria], and there they detected this torn muscle,” Bernd Boente, Klitschko’s manager, told ESPN.com. “He was in top shape and he had perfect sparring partners. He did a long preparation and is sorry to have to postpone the fight.”
Said Klitschko in a statement: “I am very disappointed that the fight cannot take place as planned. I am in absolute top form and had a great training camp. Of course, I’m sorry for the fans, but also for my opponent Kubrat Pulev, who was certainly training as intensely as I do.”
Boente said the fight will be rescheduled for November and likely still take place at the O2 World, which was already sold out — around 15,000 tickets — for the Sept. 6 fight.
“We hope to reschedule the bout in the same arena in mid-November, probably Nov. 15,” Boente said. “But that is something we have to discuss with the arena and RTL [the German television network that has a contract to carry Klitschko’s fights]. We also have to talk to the IBF because this fight is a mandatory.
“Of course, we are all disappointed, but these things can happen during the preparation.”
