Boxing
Injury knocks Mesi out of fight

Town of Tonawanda heavyweight "Baby" Joe Mesi will miss this weekend's scheduled fight against Sherman "The Tank" Williams due to a minor back injury.

This is the third time Mesi has cancelled a bout this year. He was supposed to fight Rafael Pedro June 2 and an unnamed opponent July 27. Both cards fell through, leaving Mesi out of the action since his first-round knockout of Ron Johnson in April.

The fight against Williams was supposed to be for the WBC United States title.

Mesi is tentatively scheduled for a fight September 7 at Soaring Eagle Casino in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, but no opponent has been named.

The Sweet Home High School graduate is still in talks to face Brian "The Beast" Minto and former two-time world champion Hasim Rahman.

Mesi is 35-0 with 28 knockouts.