What a letdown for Griffiths as home boxing show is cancelled

Griffiths was due to compete in the four-round welterweight contest on Millbank Promotions’ Raid on South Parade fight card on South Parade Pier this weekend (November 10).

But a long-running saga over the overall safety of the pier led to the event being switched to Fareham at short notice - and now it has been cancelled.

It is not yet clear if it will be rescheduled.

The event was called off after the Observer went to press, so a preview still appears in yesterday’s (Thursday) paper.

Meanwhile Dame Kelly Holmes is backing Griffiths. Great Britain’s double gold medallist at the Athens Olympics praised him after he raised funds and awareness for charity Asthma UK by completing the Bupa Great South Run.

Griffiths added: “I had been training hard for the fight and ran the Great South Run for Asthma UK in memory of Charlotte Beech as part of those plans.

“She was the daughter of my trainer Bob Beech, who taught me so much as an amateur and she died from an asthma attack when she was a teenager.

“My mum Linda suffers from severe asthma and has been in a wheelchair since an attack nearly killed her six years ago so I know this is a fight we must win.

“Dame Kelly was at the Bupa Great South Run and kindly offered me some words of advice about training runs while encouraging me in my fundraising efforts and wishing me luck for Saturday night and the rest of my career.

“She was a star as she spent lots of time high-fiving runners at the start and wishing them all the best when they finished.”

We will have news of any rescheduled fights as we get it.