Wicks forced to withdraw from fourth pro bout

Wicks, who was due to box on the undercard of Ben Jones’ WBO Intercontinental featherweight title defence at Crawley’s K2 Leisure Centre, pulled a muscle in his back and was unable to fight.

The bout would have been Wicks’ fourth as a professional fighter and with wins in his previous three fights, he was looking to extend his unbeaten start to life as a pro.

However, he was left frustrated with having to withdraw and said: “It was really disappointing. I pulled a muscle in my back in preparation to the fight.

“I did that on the Monday before the bout and there was no way that I could fight.

“It was a real shame but I’ll just try to get back to full fitness now.”

Despite not being able to compete, Wicks still attended the evening.

There was disappointment in Jones’s fight as a clash of heads with opponent Jose Rios forced it to be called off as a no result in the third round.

Wicks admitted he had mixed feelings about being at the K2 and said: “It was a strange one for me, I enjoyed being there but was a little disappointed with not being able to compete.

“I think Ben was disappointed with the end to his fight but he still managed to hold onto his title.

“The atmosphere was good and it would have been great to perform in front of that crowd.”

Wicks is still not sure when he will make a return to training.

He is currently still unable to train and will wait for the injury to fully heal before making his ring return.

He said: “I’m still not able to train and I don’t want to rush back and make the injury worse.

“Obviously, I want to be back competing and carrying on my professional career.

“It’s a case of looking at what fight opportunities are around and then going from there.

“Hopefully I’ll make a quick recovery and be back in the ring sooner rather than later but it’s vital I feel right before I do get back.

“It’s obviously still quite raw and frustrating but I’m hoping to be back boxing and continuing my pro career sooner rather than later.”

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