FRANKFURT, GERMANY — Heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko has been forced to cancel his December 10 title defense against Jean Marc Mormeck after two surgeries to remove kidney stones.
Klitschko, who holds the WBO, WBA and IBF titles, started to experience stomach pains last Friday (December 2). He was transferred to Duesseldorf University Hospital and had the stones removed with two surgeries on Saturday and Sunday.
The surgery was a success but did not leave enough time for Klitschko to recover in time for this Saturday.
“He is very weak after two surgeries and it makes sense to have a fight right now,” said Dr. Peter Albers, Duesseldorf University’s chief urologist.
At press time, the target date to reschedule the title match is on March 3.
Beats, Boxing and Mayhem 