Injury Bug Affecting Cards Featuring Beltway Boxers!

Injuries are starting to pop up on out-of-town cards that were scheduled to feature Beltway Boxers in the next few weeks.

BATB already talked about the injury suffered by Sam Soliman that forced the postponement of the Saturday, March 5 bout with Antoine Douglas at the Sands Casino Resort in Bethlehem, PA.

Now comes word that the Saturday, March 12 WBA Welterweight title bout between champion Keith Thurman and challenger Shawn Porter has been postponed because Thurman suffered injuries in a car accident.  The card that was scheduled to be at Mohegan Sun casino in Uncasville, CT is now in jeopardy, including the 10-round co-feature bout between Fort Washington, MD light heavyweight Thomas "Top Dog" Williams, Jr. and Edwin "La Bomba" Rodriguez.

DiBella Entertainment, one of the promoters for the card, said in a press release that they are weighing their options on what to do with the card, which was scheduled to have the feature bouts shown on CBS. According to ESPN.com's Dan Rafael, WBC Featherweight champion "Mr" Gary Russell, Jr. was penciled in to make his first title defense against Patrick Hyland of Ireland on this card.  Russell recently returned to training after suffering an injury that forced a cancellation of a voluntary defense against Oscar Escandon.  Escandon will take on Robinson Castellanos in a bout for the interim WBC featherweight title on Saturday, March 5 at the DC Armory on the Luis Ortiz-Tony Thompson card.

Another Beltway Boxer -- "Swift" Jarrett Hurd -- was also slated to be on this card.  However, Hurd recently had hand surgery and will be out of action.