Katsidis-Guzman bout on May 26 postponed

Junior lightweight titlist Joan Guzman of the Dominican Republic suffered a left hand injury in training, forcing the postponement of his May 26 fight against Michael Katsidis on Thursday. Guzman was moving from 130 pounds to 135 to challenge Katsidis, an Australian who was to make his U.S. debut, for an interim lightweight title at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif. Guzman (27-0, 17 KOs), who was training with Floyd Mayweather Sr. for the first time in preparation for the bout, injured the hand during a sparring session Tuesday and, after a visit to a doctor, was advised to postpone the fight. "Fortunately, it was not broken or fractured," manager Jose Nunez said. "There is only tissue damage on his wrist and pinkie finger. Las Vegas doctor Steven Sanders recommended two weeks' rest for his left hand, but he will continue to train at the gym using only his right hand." HBO, which was to have televised the bout on "Boxing After Dark," will go dark that night. HBO and promoter Golden Boy hope to reschedule the show later this summer. The co-feature pitting former junior featherweight champion Oscar Larios (59-5-1, 37 KOs) of Mexico against 21-year-old rising contender Jorge Linares (23-0, 14 KOs), a Venezuela native based in Japan, for an interim featherweight title will also be rescheduled. Although they have been working together for only a few weeks, Mayweather Sr. had high hopes for Guzman, a former junior featherweight titlist, in the fight. "We just started working together, but I could tell right away that he's got unbelievable talent," Mayweather said. "Guzman's defense and hand speed are almost unmatched in the ring today." Katsidis (22-0, 20 KOs) claimed a vacant interim belt Feb. 17 in a sensational action fight against Graham Earl in London. Both men were down before the referee stopped the fight in the fifth round. It is the leading candidate for fight of the year. Guzman's injury is the second one to impact the card. Larios was originally supposed to challenge featherweight titlist Injin Chi, but an injury forced him to withdraw from the bout. Linares was signed to replace him.