IT SEEMS International Boxing Federation (IBF) ligh-flyweight champion Ulises Solis is successful in delaying his mandatory title defense against Filipino Bert Batawang.
This after, the Solis vs. Batawang fight at the Hard Rock Hotel and Resort Casino in Las Vegas on Oct. 4 was again postponed to November.
International matchmaker Sampson Lewkowicz yesterday told Sammy Gello-ani, Batawang?s manager, that Solis is postponing the title fight once again because of medical reasons.
?According to Sampson, the doctor ordered Solis to rest for one week because of his shoulder injury. I personally don?t believe this,? Gello-ani said yesterday.
Lewkowicz e-mailed Todd DuBoef, the president of Top Rank Inc. and the promoter of the fight, regarding the postponent.
?Today, Fernando Beltran (promoter of Solis) called me to inform me that once again Ulises Solis will not be available for his mandatory defense against Bert Batawang and he will postpone this bout for sometime in November,? Lewkowicz said in his e-mail, which was forwarded by the ALA gym to Sun.Star Cebu.
?Postponements are part of our industry and we must live with them on a daily basis. However, I would like to remind you that this fight is mandatory and Bert Batawang will be ready and available when your champ is ready to meet his mandatory obligation,? added Lewkowicz.
This will be the third postponement of the Solis-Batawang fight.
The fight was originally scheduled last Sept. 16 but because of Solis? ?injury,? the fight was moved to Oct. 4.
This sure to frustrate Batawang, whose last fight was held at the Cebu City Sports Center last Feb. 24 yet
Batawang was scheduled to fight last May 26 against Mexican Francisco Rosas for the IBF title eliminator fight.
The fight was cancelled after the main event Michael Katsidis vs. Joan Guzman was scrapped because of Guzman?s injury.
The fight was rescheduled for Aug. 11 as one of the featured event in the Boxing World Cup. Two weeks before the fight Batawang got a new opponent in Gerardo Verde still for a 12 round eliminator bout.
However, three days before the fight, Verde was ruled unfit to fight because of detached retinas.
Following that sojourn, Batawang was given the chance to challenge Solis but the Mexican champion seems keen to avoid away from the Filpino ring veteran.
