 Klitschko (left): Keen for a rematch |
Vitali Klitschko's promoter says heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis has pulled out of a December rematch between the fighters. Negotiations were under way for a 6 December bout, possibly at Madison Square Garden.
But the Ukrainian boxer's promoter Klaus-Peter Kohl said on Monday that Lewis' lawyer had told him that the date would not go ahead.
Klitschko reacted with anger to the news.
"I'm surprised," said the 32-year-old, who was stopped because of bloody cuts to the left eye during the first fight in June.
"If this is true, then it really caught me off guard.
"First, he [Lewis] put pressure on me, saying I could not fight because of the cuts around my left eye.
"So I had several different experts examine the eye.
"Independent doctors in Los Angeles and Germany both gave me the OK to resume training right away. They both said that a fight later in the year would not be a problem for me."
Kohl said the Lewis camp cited a lack of training time as their reason, but there was no official comment from the Briton.
"Maybe we'll have Vitali fight in-between before it comes to a showdown with Lewis next year," he said.
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Maybe we'll have Vitali fight in-between before it comes to a showdown with Lewis next year 