Joe Calzaghe has been left "distraught" after a sprained wrist forced him to postpone September's eagerly-anticipated bout with Roy Jones Jr at Madison Square Garden.

The pair were due to face off in a light-heavyweight fight at New York's famous venue on September 20 but the Welshman injured his right wrist while hitting pads in training and has been forced to postpone, probably until November.

"It's one of those things you never want to happen, but it's happened," Enzo Calzaghe, Joe's father and trainer, said. "When he woke up in the morning with a swollen wrist, it looked awful.

"It is a sad thing it happened and he needs two or three weeks off before he starts punching again. Everybody's gutted about it - Joe's absolutely distraught. What can you do about it? You've got to have common sense in this game. At the end of the day at this level you need to be safe."

A source close to Calzaghe insisted the problem is "not career-threatening" and he saw a consultant yesterday in an attempt to determine the extent of the damage.

Talks began almost immediately with Jones Jnr's representatives, HBO, the American pay-per-view channel, and officials from the venue in order to set a new date for the contest.

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