IBF super –featherweight champion Robert Guerrero has withdrawn from his March 27 title defence against Australian Michael Katsidis.
Guerrero’s co manager Shelly Finkel announced Monday the 26 year-old champion pulled out because his wife is seriously ill, battling Leukemia.
Speaking to ESPN.com Finkel said: "It’s a very tough situation. He can’t fight like that. That’s what we all told him and he finally agreed. It’s too much."
Casey Guerrero was diagnosed with leukemia in November 2007. Her leukemia eventually went into remission but came back again. Casey recently underwent a bone marrow transplant and doctors are still waiting to see if her body will accept the bone marrow.
Co manager of Guerrero Bob Santo told ESPN: "They won’t really know if the bone marrow is going to take, so we’re hoping that it does.
"Robert wanted to fight. He thought he could spend half the day with her and train the other half the day, but she started to take a turn for the worse. I told him point blank there is no way I would allow him to fight. Me and Shelly had to talk him out of it. This is a tough sport and if he’s going to fight somebody like Katsidis you have to be 100 percent focused. With this situation, how could he be?"
February 9, 2010
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