Visa issues prevent Joseph Agbeko from fighting Paul Butler

The former IBF Bantamweight champion was scheduled to take on the English boxer this week on his return to the ring.

However, according to MTK Global Boxing, who are the promoters of the bout, the fight has been called off.

In a statement, the promoters explained that Agbeko was forced to pull out of the bout due to visa issues.

Joseph Agbeko's fight called off Pulse Ghana

“Former world champion Butler (32-2, 15 KOs) was originally set to face Joseph Agbeko at the event, before visa problems forced the Ghanaian out of the contest,” it said.

The 44-year-old is a two-time world champion, having fought 43 times, winning 38 and losing just five.

Meanwhile, MTK Global said Mexican boxer Willibaldo Garcia has stepped in to face Butler for the vacant WBO International bantamweight title on Friday.

“Mexico’s Garcia (12-4-1, 6 KOs) has now stepped in, and he heads into the fight on a great run of form having lost just one of his last 13 fights, and picking up wins over Raul Esquer and Oscar Nery Plata in his last two outings,” the statement added.

In a related development, Ghanaian boxer Isaac Dogboe chalked yet another significant victory in his career after defeating Adam Lopez in a close contest last Saturday.

Dogboe had to finish the fight strongly after dropping his guard midway through the bout, eventually winning by a majority decision.

The scorecard from the judges read: Dave Morreti – 95-95, Don Trella – 97-93 and Chris Migliore – 96-94, all in favour of Dogboe.