Lyndon Arthur defeated late replacement Boris Crighton on Friday night as he said he would aim for a light heavyweight title shot in his next fight instead.
Arthur is on the comeback trail after losing to Anthony Yarde in their December 2021 rematch, and the 31-year-old would have received a boost had he won the originally planned fight.
That was set to be against Argentine contender Braian Suarez, with the victory winning the currently vacant IBO light heavyweight championship.
However, Suarez failed a medical ahead of the fight, requiring a late dash for a new fighter to avoid losing out on action.
Crighton stepped in with little over a day’s notice, and after he made a bright start, Yarde asserted his authority and scored a cut under Crighton’s left eye, which hampered his vision, before dropping the substitute. A unanimous decision win was duly awarded to Arthur.
“I’ve sparred him a few times so I know he’s tricky,” Arthur said after the fight. “But he only came in yesterday so it was a totally different fight to what I was expecting.
“It was a good fight and a good 10 rounds for me before a bigger fight for me next.
“It is what it is. I’ll get back in the gym straight away and keep trying to progress. It’s great for me so I’m happy.”