SOULEYMANE Cissokho has withdrawn from his December 7 clash with Lithuanian puncher Egidijus Kavaliauskas due to an injury, Boxium Promotions have confirmed. The pair were due to headline in Equatorial Guinea in a WBC final eliminator.

The promoter sent out a release revealing the news before stating: “Following medical advice, it was determined that Souleymane cannot compete at his best. The health and safety of our athletes remains our top priority.

“We wish Souleymane a speedy recovery and will announce a new date for the fight soon. Thank you for your understanding and continued support.”

This is, of course, a blow for both of these former Olympians, who are in the veteran stages of their respective careers. Cissokho, 33, was born in Senegal, so the chance to fight in Africa would’ve been a solid career boost, especially now that he has been inactive for over a year.

Wins over Vladimir Hernandez, Kieron Conway and Tulani Mbenge have pushed him closer to world contention, but his career has meandered slightly. The Mbenge win has aged well, given Mbenge’s recent upset of Michael McKinson. Cissokho, 17-0 (9 KOs), picked up the WBC Silver title that evening which seemingly propelled him towards a shot at the full title currently held by Mario Barrios. 

Kavaliauskas, meanwhile, hasn’t got time to waste either. Now 36, the man known as ‘Mean Machine’ has also been inactive for almost a year, sporting a 24-2-1 (19 KOs) slate. Kavaliauskas’ heavy-handed approach earned him plenty of fans on the way up, but on the two occasions he has stepped in against top-level operators he has been stopped.

A fight with Cissokho would’ve been an interesting battle of top contenders. Hopefully it can be rescheduled as neither man can afford to hang around any longer.