Carl Frampton’s fight with Andrés Gutiérrez in Belfast was called off on Friday night with less than 24 hours’ notice after the Mexican fell in the shower.
Barry McGuigan, the fight’s promoter, told the BBC: “We’re all so disappointed, it was a freak accident. He slipped in the shower, smashed his face, the guy is concussed. He’s a deep gash on his chin, his nose, lost two of his teeth.”
An earlier statement on McGuigan’s Facebook page said: “It is hoped that the event will be re-scheduled but ticket holders are advised to retain their tickets and contact point of purchase for further information.”
The 30-year-old Frampton, once a world champion at featherweight and super-bantamweight, had been priming himself to fight in his home city for what might have been the final time.
Earlier in the day he realised it would no longer serve as an eliminator for the WBC featherweight title for him after he came in one pound overweight at 9st 1lb. He is coming out of a six-month lay-off which followed his first professional defeat, by another Mexican, Léo Santa Cruz, in Las Vegas.
Frampton has made no secret of his desire to face Santa Cruz for a third time, or to challenge Wales’s IBF champion, Lee Selby. His trainer, Shane McGuigan, has said the “finish line” is in sight for him despite only 24 professional fights.
McGuigan, speaking to the Irish media before the now cancelled Gutiérrez bout, said: “We feel Saturday night is the next chapter in Carl’s career and one I’m excited about, because we can see the finish line now.
“It’s like running a marathon and you can see that 20-mile mark and you’ve got around six miles to go. The legs are a bit heavy but we’re going to finish strong with four or five big wins.”