ALEK Penarski's comeback plans were dealt a bodyblow today after his grudge match with Wayne Barker went on hold.

The Bolton boxer's £5,000 winner-take-all showdown, due to take place next Monday at Manchester's Piccadilly Hotel, has been postponed for four weeks after the Salford fighter injured a calf muscle.

The British Boxing Federation produced a report from the Highfield MR Scanning Unit in Rochdale to show that the fight for the vacant cruiserweight title could not go ahead. But news of the postponement brought a bitter reaction from the 46-year-old Penarski.

"I'd have gone in there with a wooden leg," he declared today. "I heard he'd suffered an injury last week but I understood he'd had some treatment and would be okay.

"As far as I was concerned, the fight was still going ahead until I heard from a third party yesterday that it was off. It's knocked me back a bit.

"I'm not sure whether he's 'bottled it' or not because he knows I'm training well and in good nick. But this fight has got to go on ... I'm ready to go now. I'm bubbling. I've been training three months and I can't remember the last time I was in as good condition as this."

Penarski, who fought for the British light-heavyweight championship in his heyday, has been out of the ring for almost 10 years but was lured back by the title shot against an old adversary.

The BBF say all tickets sold for Monday's show will be honoured when the event is rescheduled.