The highly anticipated super bantamweight showdown between Liam Davis and Shahbaz Massoud has been postponed.
The bout was scheduled to be the main event of Queensberry's latest “Magnificent Seven” show in Birmingham on July 20, but Davis was forced to withdraw.
Davis, the world number one, confirmed the news on social media.
“Unfortunately the fight has been postponed,” he posted on Instagram, “while we wait for confirmation of the new date. Anyone who bought tickets will be able to get a refund and my brother will be fighting at the Birmingham show so you can still go to the show.”
Davis, 16-0 (8 KOs), has been in great form over the past two years, having come from the undercard to win the British and European titles. But what's most impressive is how the 28-year-old Donington native continues to improve and add more to his game. Davis has boxed brilliantly, beating tough opponent Ionut Barta on points to win the European title, knocking out rival Jason Cunningham in one round to win the British title and defeating dangerous Mexican Erick Robles Ayala in two rounds in March.
Despite a far below-expected performance in his narrow win over Colombia's Jose San Martin last November, the skilled Massoud (12-0 (4 KOs)) is a talented fighter who did beat Davis as an amateur but has never faced anyone approaching his level as a pro.
Masood said in a statement that the bout has been rescheduled and is now set to take place on July 20. The Ben Davison-trained fighter may benefit from an additional training bout before facing Davis.
