Undefeated super middleweight Leon Bauer had to pull out of his IBF/IBO Youth world title fight against unbeaten Colombian Hacel Gonzalez due to complications from a COVID infection.

The fight was scheduled to take place on the undercard of the IBO world light heavyweight championship between Leon Bunn and Padraig McCrory on October 22 at the Fabriksporthalle in Frankfurt, Germany. The Bunn-McCrory showdown is presented by Wasserman Boxing in association with Probellum.

The battle between Bauer and Gonzalez was initially scheduled to take place on September 24 in Ludwigshafen but was postponed to October 22 after Bauer first tested positive for the COVID-19. The 24-year old super middleweight experienced mild symptoms at first and was expected to return to training camp in a matter of days. However, Bauer’s condition worsened over the weekend and he was thus advised by his doctor to take a lengthier break from boxing in order to make a full recovery.

“It’s unfortunate that Leon Bauer won’t be able to step into the ring, but health always comes first and Covid is no joke,“ said promoter Kalle Sauerland. “We wish him a speedy and full recovery!“

“Unfortunately, Leon Bauer’s symptoms worsened over the last couple of days,“ added Bauer’s promoter Rainer Gottwald. “There’s no reason to worry, but he is having slight problems with his lungs and experiences angina-like symptoms. It will take a while until Leon will be able to step back into the ring. We are sorry for the fans, for Hacel Gonzalez and, of course, for Leon, too, but health is the most important thing, which is why we had no choice but to cancel the fight.“