Team Sauerland was forced to call off Saturday’s card in Neubrandenburg, Germany after IBF Middleweight Champion Sebastian Sylvester caught a virus infection. The 30-year-old was slated to face Mehdi Bouadla in his fourth defense on January 22nd, with IBF Cruiserweight Champion Steve Cunningham taking on mandatory challenger Enad Licina in the co-featured main event.
“I am very disappointed,” Sylvester said. “All of a sudden I felt sick and exhausted. I went straight to the doctor who told me that I could not fight on Saturday. That is a major disappointment for me as I was really looking forward to fighting in front of my home fans in Neubrandenburg.”
The show in Neubrandenburg will be rescheduled as soon as possible. “We have to wait and see how quickly Sebastian recovers and then speak to the IBF to set a new date,” said Team Sauerland General Manager Chris Meyer. “We are trying to sort this out as soon as we can.”
For Steve Cunningham, it’s just the latest in a career filled with fight cancellations, inactivity, and an inability to land any major bouts, almost all of which have been due to factors outside of his own control. Here’s hoping that, if nothing else, the best cruiserweight in the world lands another major bout as soon as possible. It’s a disservice to his career, to the sport and to fans around the world to not get this guy fighting.