Eddie Chambers Injures His Back In Sparring, Tony Thompson Fight Off

By James Slater – Bad news for heavyweight fans. “Fast” Eddie Chambers has had to withdraw from his October 28th IBF elimination bout with Tony Thompson, due to suffering a bad back. The two were set to fight with the winner earning a second shot at IBF, Ring Magazine, WBA, WBO, IBO king Wladimir Kitschko (both men were stopped late on in respective challenges of Wladimir: Thompson back in 2008, Chambers last year), but now the fight will either be scrapped altogether or a new date will be arranged..

29-year-old Chambers told ESPN.com what happened.

“This has been an ongoing thing and it just caught up with me,” Chambers said. “My back has always been tight and that’s a very stubborn area in your body. But it’s really gotten to me. I was sparring last week and it really got to me. It’s unfortunate. I worked really hard, but I’m injured.”

40-year-old Thompson is no doubt very upset at the news. At his age, “The Tiger” has precious little time to waste hanging around for big fights such as this one to be re-set. However, according to promoter Dan Goossen, who also spoke with ESPN.com, there is a chance the IBF will go ahead and rank Thompson as the mandatory challenger for their belt. Goossen is currently in contact with the IBF.

“If we can’t reschedule the fight, I believe Tony should just become the mandatory because he has performed within the guidelines of the tournament,” Goossen said. “Or we can try to reschedule the fight for later this year.”

In the interest of fairness, a rescheduled date would be the best thing; but how long will Chambers be out of action for? If Thompson were to be placed as the IBF #1 heavyweight contender, and be in line for a shot at Wladimir next (after Wladimir has taken care of Jean Marc Mormeck), would the fans buy a Klitschko-Thompson II? And if this were the scenario that unfolded, where would it leave Chambers?

Depending on how serious Chambers’ injury is, the likelihood is the fight will go ahead but at a later date. That way, the winner will have earned a second shot at Wladimir. A tough fight to call, fans were split down the middle as to who would win. Now we will have to wait a while longer to find out.