Junior Witter has pulled out of his next fight after damaging his hand in sparring.

Bradford's British and Commonwealth light-welter champion was due to headline at Widnes next Thursday on a show being recorded for American TV.

But a hospital X-ray revealed that Witter has torn ligaments in his left hand.

He said: "I hurt it in my last fight in Manchester and felt the pain again when I was sparring with Esham Pickering and caught him on the top of the head.

"It is disappointing but I wouldn't have been 100 per cent to fight. It wasn't worth the risk knowing that one bad performance would kill me on American TV."

Witter will push for another outing in June as he keeps up the chase for fierce domestic rival Ricky Hatton.