Promising St Ives puncher Bradley Smith has seen his career held up by the recurrence of a shoulder problem.

The 18 year-old - winner of both professional fights to date - has been forced to pull out of an intended engagement in early December.

Lightweight Smith (pictured right) is now unlikely to fight again until a March 12 show at the York Hall in London - the venue for his wins against Ivailo Boyanov and Alec Bazza.

Smith said: “I had a problem with my shoulder when I was an amateur, but I had lots of physio at the time and thought it had gone away.

“Unfortunately it has flared up again and there is no way I could fight next month. I couldn’t even throw a jab and I’ve been told to give the shoulder four weeks of rest.

“The injury happened only a few days after we had agreed to the December fight.

“It is frustrating because I wanted to get another win on my record before the end of the year, but it certainly isn’t the end of the world.”

“I’ve got plenty of time on my side. I could have another 15 years in the sport so having to pull out of one fight is not going to hurt.”

St Ives Boxing Academy star Shona Whitwell is on international duty this week. The 17 year-old is representing England in the Balkan Tournament in Bulgarian capital, Sofia.