MIAMI, Florida (CMC) – Top flight Jamaican light heavyweight boxer Glen Johnson is distressed over the abandonment of next month’s world title fight against American champion Tavoris Cloud.
Cloud, the reigning International Boxing Federation (IBF) 175-pound king, pulled out of the scheduled April 10 bout with issues of a hamstring injury and a sudden switch in his promotional set-up triggering his withdrawal from the HBO television event.
“I am very disappointed. Obviously this was a very big opportunity to be back on HBO,” Johnson said in an interview with Boxing Scene website.
“It was a great set up to an even bigger fight right around the corner. To run into this situation is disappointing to say the least,” said ex-world champion Johnson.
The IBF has given a 90-day title defence extension to the undefeated Cloud, who announced Wednesday that he has left his previous promotion company DiBella Entertainment and signed with Don King Productions (DKP).
Cloud’s manager Jerry Attardi hinted this week that promotional differences played a significant role in the postponement when he declared that he did not approve arrangements for the bout next month and suggested that the fight would still have been scrapped even if Cloud was fit. 
Johnson also reacted in the Boxing Scene interview to suspicions that Cloud was not injured.
“I may suspect something else being the reason but without any proof what can I do,” said the 41-year-old Johnson.
Johnson had qualified for the title fight by scoring an impressive sixth-round knockout victory over American Yusaf Mack in a title eliminator last month.
He took a week off after his February 5 win over Mack and was already back in the gym preparing to tackle the 28-year-old Cloud.
The postponement is an undesirable development for Johnson.
“I am at the age I need to fight and I can’t lose any time waiting around,” Johnson said.
The title defence for Cloud against Johnson could happen as early as June but there is no confirmation yet from the authorities on a date.
Cloud, boasting a 20-0 record with 18 knockouts, won the IBF belt last August with a unanimous 12-round decision over Britain’s Clinton Woods.
Johnson is a former IBF champion and 2004 World Fighter-of-the-Year. He has a ring record of 50 wins, with 34 knockouts, against 13 losses.
The rest of the April 10 card at BankAtlantic Centre is scheduled to go on as planned with the headliner being the 12-round World Boxing Council (WBC) welterweight title fight between Haiti’s Andre Berto and Carlos Quintana, of Puerto Rico.
Part of the proceeds of the promotion will go to the Haitian earthquake relief.