Sussex fighter Wayne Alexander has had to pull out of his challenge for the interim WBO middleweight title.

Hailsham-based Alexander was due to meet Argentinian Hector Javier Velazco at Bethnal Green on May 8.

The winner of the interim showdown will be upgraded to world champion if current title holder Harry Simon, who is facing possible homicide charges after a car accident which left a family dead, cannot defend his crown by June 30.

But Alexander, normally a light-middleweight, had to withdraw following a shingles-type virus