ONE could be excused for thinking opponents of boxer Mark de Mori are running scared.
For the second time in five months, de Mori’s scheduled opponent has pulled out of a fight with the Scarborough heavyweight.
In the latest of a long line of frustrations for ‘The Dominator’, American Matt ‘The Hurricane’ Hicks will be a no-show on Sunday, at the Cockburn Basketball Centre.
According to PerthNow, Hicks had to withdraw because of passport and visa problems.
In June, his scheduled bout with Ibrahim Marshall was cancelled at late notice because the Ghanian failed a blood test.
But De Mori’s preparations for what was going to be one of the biggest challenges of his boxing career against former National Football League player Hicks will not be in vain, because American Dominique ‘Diamond’ Alexander had been lined up as a replacement, pending any last-minute hiccups with Hicks. Currently fighting out of Don King’s stable and without a fight since July, 2009, de Mori (16 wins, 1 loss, 2 draws) was convinced leading into the Hicks fight that if he lost, King would de-list him, but the 29-year-old said that was what helped motivate him.
De Mori said the change in opponent did not bother him, although Alexander would force a change to his plan of attack.