The much-anticipated fight between heavyweight boxers Joseph Parker and Junior Fa has been postponed after Fa was ruled out of the fight following a blood test.
Photo: Photosport Ltd 2020
The fight was due to be held in Auckland on 12 December but organisers hope to reschedule the fight for February or early March.
Following a blood test last Friday, the fight doctor ruled that Fa would not be able to fight next month. His manager, Mark Keddell, said the boxer was "gutted" with the latest development.
"He's getting an operation on Tuesday, we're very confident that things will go well. He's in tremendous shape so he should be able to bounce back pretty quickly, just got to repair a bit of damage and go from there."
Fa has had previous medical concerns but Keddell would not link this with the current issue.
"Where not talking about what the actual issue is because in this kinda game every bit of information is an advantage to the opposition so we're happy to chat about it after the fight but we're keeping our cards close to our chest."