Illness has forced Limerick fighter Paddy Donovan out of a final eliminator for the IBF World Welterweight title with Liam Paro in Australia later this month.
Donovan was due to head Down Under for a bout with huge consequences in the division against former champion Liam Paro on 16 January.
The winner was due to become mandatory for the belt, which fought for against Belfast's Lewis Crocker earlier this year.
Paro (29) was world champion at light welterweight and boasts an impressive record of 26 victories from 27 fights, including claiming the IBF title against Subriel Matías last year.
Paro is managed by Meath's Brian Peters, best known for working with Katie Taylor and Bernard Dunne.
Donovan fought Crocker twice last year, suffering a controversial disqualification in the original bout.
The rematch was for the vacant IBF world title which Belfast man Crocker won by split decision last September.
"I'm extremely disappointed to have to withdraw from the fight," said Donovan.
"I was confident of beating Paro. I missed three weeks of training due to illness and my coach, Andy (Lee), took the decision out of my hands.
"I want to apologise to all the fans in Australia who were looking forward to the fight. I will be back stronger in 2026. I wish Paro well and hope that we can fight in the future."
Trainer Andy Lee said the withdrawal couldn't be avoided: "If we don’t learn from our mistakes then we are doomed to repeat them.
"I’ve been in this situation before with my other boxers and it never goes well. There was no way Paddy could train and fight with the viral chest and respiratory infection he had, so I made the decision to pull him out of the fight.
"Paddy is still one of the best welterweights in the world with a huge future in the sport."
Paro's team are likely to push for him to be installed as mandatory challenger to Belfast man Crocker, leaving Donovan out in the cold for now.
