Chris John likely to seek another postponement of bout

Chris John likely to seek another postponement of bout

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Boxing promoter HM Arsyad says he will respect the decision of
the World Boxing Association (WBA) on whether to grant world
flyweight champion Chris John's request for a second postponement
of his mandatory defense bout.

"If the WBA decides that the mandatory defense on February 4
must go ahead, then we'll have to do it, but if they decide to
fulfill Chris John's request, then we'll respect that, too," the
East Kalimantan-based Arsyad told Antara news service's Semarang
office on Saturday.

But he added that forcing Chris John, who is nursing a right
ankle injury, to fight against Mexican challenger Juan Manuel
Marquez would be tantamount to surrendering the belt.

"Of course, the Indonesian public does not want to see the
title lost by a national fighter. We'll have to wait for the
results of Chris John's treatment in Semarang."

Chris John, reached at his home in the Central Java capital,
said he still had one more opportunity to request the
postponement of the bout. However, a third request would lead to
him losing the crown.

"As for February 4, I probably won't be brave enough to fight
if my injury isn't totally healed. That's why I will likely ask
for a postponement of a month so I will be totally healed and
ready to fight Marquez."

On Thursday, two days after returning from training at Harry's
Gym in Perth, Australia, Chris John said he was focusing on light
jogging and believed he would be ready for the February fight.

The original fight date was Dec. 9 in Tenggarong, Kutai
Kartanegara, East Kalimantan. Chris John is expected to receive a
purse of Rp 675 million (about US$67,000) for the bout.