Instead, the undefeated 31 year-old featherweight now gets the chance to further boost his world ranking when Jackson fights Silvester Lopez just over a month later.
“The announcement has been a long time coming, but we can let everybody know what the next step is for Luke Jackson,” Wilcock told World Boxing News.
“In preparation for the originally scheduled October bout, Luke injured his hand and was advised by doctors to take complete rest and some time away from boxing for the first time since he first entered the ring. Luke is now back training as hard as usual and nearing full fitness.
“Having won the WBA Oceania title on March’s last big Hobart show, Luke became world-ranked and we were poised to follow this path with the aim of reaching a world title opportunity. This is a path already followed by three FightCard boxers who had all fought for a WBA World Championship.
“When Luke became injured, as his promoter, we followed the right process and submitted all the medical paperwork to the WBA Oceania president. And as a promoter, we must always act in the best interests of the boxer.
“Throughout a recent period of time, we have had the November 19th date in the works and been planning all the details and there was nothing more important than finding the right opponent for Luke.
“Having submitted eight opponents to the Oceania president, all not approved, we were told that the sanction fee must be paid within two weeks and that no more communication would be entered into.
“Over two months out from the promotion, this is unusual on two fronts; sanction fees are never required two months prior to a show, many times paid at the weigh in or post-show. Also, the step to cease communication by the Oceania president is not only unreasonable but also unprofessional.
“With Luke’s best interest forefront in decisions, there’s no way that FightCard would be able to successfully organize another Hobart show without having confirmation as to who would or wouldn’t be sanctioned as an opponent. As such we have been forced to change direction.
“After a week of discussions and negotiations, I can announce that Luke Jackson will now fight Silvester Lopez for the WBO Oriental regional title on November 19th.
“This is a really exciting and positive step for ‘Jacko’ and as a team, we couldn’t be happier with the outcome. A new venue and a bigger show featuring six massive local fights will be announced soon.”
