Jai Opetaia's long-awaited world-title defence has copped a further delay, the Australian champion blasting Mateusz Masternak for "wasting his time" after the mandatory challenger's last-minute refusal to fight.
Gold Coast-based Opetaia hasn't fought since his stoic upset of Mairis Briedis last July, when he endured 10 rounds with a badly broken jaw to claim the IBF and The Ring cruiserweight belts in one of the fights of the year.
Recovery from that fight, subsequent injuries and an ongoing legal dispute between his manager and former promoter have delayed Opetaia's (22-0) return to the ring.
The bullish 27-year-old thought he had finally sewn up a defence, until Polish veteran Masternak's withdrawal on the final day of the negotiation window.
Masternak will instead chase a fight with England's new WBO champion Chris Billam-Smith.
Undefeated Brit Richard Riakporhe (16-0), the IBF and WBO No.2-ranked contender and No.5 in WBC, now has until July 14 to negotiate terms with Opetaia until a purse bid is called.
A frustrated Opetaia had earlier called out Billam-Smith for a unification bout, slammed his Polish would-be rival.
"What a waste of time," he tweeted.
"(Masternak) used to be a good fighter, now he's a has-been.
"I would've retired him. If you don't want the smoke, why waste the last few months talking s***?"
Minimum weight Alex Winwood's push to become the fastest Australian to a world boxing title continues when he fights Reyneris Gutierrez in Perth on Friday.
The 25-year-old Olympian from Western Australia is undefeated in two professional starts and would need to lift the belt by his sixth fight to trump Jeff Fenech's effort.
Already ranked No.12 and No.13 in the IBF and WBC rankings respectively, Winwood can make further ground if he does the business against the WBC's No.5 at Metro City Stadium.
"I rise to the challenge and feed off pushing myself and my boundaries," he said.
"I was told I was insane for fighting a former world champion (Indonesia's Tibo Monabesa) in my second fight.
"The better opponent they put in front of me, the better I am."
New Zealand middleweight Andrei Mikhailovich is just one victory from a world-title tilt after the IBF ordered him to face Germany's Denis Radovan in an eliminator for their vacant belt.
If Russia-born Mikhailovich (20-0) wins he'll fight the victor of Esquiva Falcao and Vincenzo Gualtieri as early as December.
That pair will fight for the belt vacated by Gennady Golovkin, with the IBF requiring any winner of a vacant title to defend it within six months.
