Fes ‘The Terrier’ Batista’s big St George’s Day fight in Alabama, USA, was cancelled when his opponent pulled out due to ill health. 

Batista was due to fight Michael Petersen in what was to have been the Huddersfield fighter’s first bout in more than 1,400 days. Having been pumped for the fight, Batista was left deflated. 

Batista, trained by world renowned boxer Roy Jones Jr, was left disappointed at his opponent’s late withdrawal.

Announcing what happened on social media Batista said: “With a broken heart, I regret to say I will no longer fight this weekend as my opponent pulled out. I am very upset and would like to thank everyone for the support. We did everything we could…it feels like a loss, a big loss.”

Later, in a message to Huddersfield Hub, Batista said: “I don’t know what to say. I had a fantastic camp. Everything went perfect and now my opponent didn’t turn up. I am very upset.”