RENO, Nev. -- The heavyweight championship bout between Larry Holmes and John Tate, set for April 6 in Reno, has been cancelled.
The fight was called off after Tate suffered a severe muscle strain in his left shoulder while training in Knoxville, Tenn., a spokesman said Tuesday.
Holmes was philosophical about the cancellation, saying, 'God works in mysterious ways.'
But he added that he still wants to fight in Reno and, if he can help arrange it, will meet World Boxing Association champion Gerrie Coetzee in the Lawlor Events Center instead.
Tate's manager, Ace Miller, said his fighter apparently suffered the injury when he missed a left hook while sparring.
'It was just one of those freak things,' he said.
JPD Sports signed Holmes to a package deal calling for him to fight Tate on April 6, then Coetzee on either June 1 or June 8. Company president Ken Bounds said the Coetzee fight is still on as far as he is concerned. He said he has a letter of agreement for the fight from Charles Lomax, attorney for promoter Don King.
Bounds said the most likely sites for the fight are Las Vegas, Houston or New Orleans. But he said he is scheduled to meet with officials of the Reno-Sparks Convention and Tourism Authority next Tuesday to discuss the possibility of holding the Coetzee fight in Reno.
Holmes said it would take some 'creative financing,' but that he wants to try bring the fight to Reno.
'If we can find a combination of people who want to back the fight, it would work,' he said.
The announcement that Tate's injury would cancel the fight came just hours after Reno Mayor Pete Sferrazza named Tuesday 'Larry Holmes Day' in the city.
