Early disappointment for Eddie Hearn vs Frank Warren 5 vs 5 card after boxer gets injured
The much anticipated ‘5 v 5’ battle between Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren’s promotional outfits has already taken a potential blow as one of the proposed fighters requires surgery.
Hearn’s Matchroom versus Warren’s Queensbury is set to be a great night of boxing that brings together some of the best British fighters on June 1st. It has been arranged with the help of the Saudi Arabian Entertainment chief Turki Alalshikh and will have a bill topped by the undisputed light heavyweight fight between Dimitri Bivol and Artur Beterbiev.
One of the fighters who was thought to feature on the bill was undefeated Hopey Price. However, news has now emerged that the talented 23-year-old featherweight, who won the British title outright recently announced he has agreed to fight British and Commonwealth champion Nathaniel Collins, has suffered a hand injury.
His coach Dave Coldwell explained to Boxing Scene that it happened in the third round of his come-from-behind victory over Conor Coghill last October. After a previous injury to the same hand, Price and Coldwell has been told that the hand must not be used for at least 10 weeks in order to allow it the best possible chance of a full and proper recovery. They gave it 12 weeks before pushing on it once more but that didn’t stop the injury reappearing after this last fight.
Price himself also gave a statement, “To say that I’m devastated to have my progress delayed is an understatement. But many fighters before me have come back from major hand surgery and become champions, and so shall I. Recovery starts today.”
Collins will now need to look for a different opponent, while the 5 v 5 card has also lost out on a great potential fight with this setback.