Alexander was to make his first title defense against England's Brook on May 18th in the Showtime televised card headlined by the Lamont Peterson-Lucas Matthysse welterweight bout at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ. Brook had been trying to work through the injury and was receiving treatment, but was finally advised not to fight.
"Kell has recently developed pain in his right foot," Hearn said in a statement. "Following specialist review and investigations over the last ten days he has been diagnosed with a stress fracture of his right fourth metatarsal and further injury of his right navicular, both of which require ongoing treatment, including withdrawal from full training.
"As a result of these injuries and the time required to recover, he has been advised that he will not be medically fit to fight on May 18th. Obviously, this is a huge blow and Kell is devastated, but we have had to make the right decision for Kell Brook the fighter. We will speak with (Alexander promoter) Golden Boy and hope to reschedule the bout in the near future."
This is the third time the fight has been postponed. Brook (29-0, 19 KOs) suffered an ankle injury late last year and the original fight on January 19th in Los Angeles was postponed. It was rescheduled for February 23rd in Detroit, but Alexander (24-1, 13 KOs) severely strained his right biceps, delaying the match till May 18th.
The IBF, the organization whose title Alexander holds, may decide to drop Brook and move on to the next challenger. Whatever happens however, Alexander will remain on the card for the May 18th bout, chief executive Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy says.
"It is very unfortunate that this fight is off again," Schaefer said. "Seems to me like it's a fight that is not supposed to happen. We will be talking to Team Alexander, the IBF, and (Showtime) trying to identify a replacement opponent which would be acceptable to all parties involved. The show must go on, and it will."
Alexander trainer Kevin Cunningham was not as kind as Schaefer, saying, "Can you believe this clown Brook? Devon boxed 10 rounds (Thursday) and is looking sharp. He's ready to go May 18th with Brook or without him."
Alexander is a former junior welterweight titlist from St. Louis and won a welterweight title with a unanimous decision against Randall Bailey on Oct. 20th in New York.
Reference: ESPN
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