by James Slater – Bad news for fans of the light-heavyweights. It has been reported by various sources how the scheduled April 10th clash between IBF 175-pound champ Tavoris Cloud and top contender and former champ Glen Johnson has been called off. The official reason is the unbeaten Cloud suffered a strained hamstring, and now the IBF has given their light-heavyweight ruler a 90-day extension to fight “The Road Warrior.”
However, as the man with all the hot news, Dan Rafael, has reported over at ESPN.com, there may be more to it than this.. According to promoter Lou DiBella in talking with Rafael, fellow promoter Don King signed Cloud up right under his nose and this is the real reason the fight won’t be happening on April 10th. King denies this, although he has not in any way denied signed up Cloud, saying the fighter’s team came to him.
DiBella, however, is furious and he says he may take legal action. Cloud reportedly still has an obligation to original promotional outfit Richie Boy Promotions and DiBella, now that his guy Johnson has no upcoming fight, may see to it that a lawsuit is filed.
With the doubleheader with Andre Berto-Carlos Quinatna having quickly become a no-go (the Berto-Quintana WBC welterweight title fight will still happen), DiBella had to come up with a replacement fight. To his great credit, at very short notice, he was able to do so.
ESPN.com reports how Panama’s avoided Celestino Caballero, the reigning WBA and IBF super-bantamweight champion, will face Daud Yordan of Indonesia up at featherweight in a fight that will contest an interim version of the WBA 126-pound belt currently held by Yuriorkis Gamboa – the winner of this short-notice fight will become the mandatory for the sensational Cuban.
So, though we have lost Cloud-Johnson (for now at least) we have a great little featherweight battle to look forward to instead. However, the big fight may now be the one that sees rival promoters DiBella and King going at it in court!
33-year-old Caballero is currently 33-2(21). The much younger Yordan (age 22) is currently unbeaten at 25-0(19). While fans have been screaming for a Caballero-Juan Manuel Lopez showdown for some time now, if the Panamanian wins on April 10th, he may well wind up meeting the unbeaten Gamboa in what would be another fight fan’s dream.
Gamboa is next set to be in action on March 27th in Germany, against the undefeated Jonathon Victor Barros of Argentina.