Mike Tyson's bout against Clifford Etienne in Memphis on Saturday has been put in doubt by reports the former world heavyweight champion has suffered a setback in his preparation.
Tyson is reputed to have been suffering from diarrhoea in the build-up to his first fight since being beaten by Lennox Lewis in the same city last June.
Tyson missed a flight to Memphis last night and promoter Gary Shaw said: "With every day that goes by, I'm less optimistic the fight will happen".
Tyson's preparation has also been hit by the departure of close friend and fitness trainer Jeff Fenech, who was unhappy at the fighter's lack of activity in the final weeks leading up to his comeback bout.
"I did not want to leave," Fenech said. "I would have loved to have been there in the corner of one of the greatest fighters ever. But I had to make a stand, for myself and for him.
"We worked so hard early and now it has all been wasted by Mike having the last four or five days off out of seven," Fenech said.
"I don't believe he'll fight on February 22nd. I think we'll hear in the next couple of days the thing won't go ahead".
Those views were echoed by Tyson's new trainer, Freddie Roach, who also revealed the fighter has had a tattoo put on his face.
"He's only trained two days this week [and] he's got the tattoo on his face, which I guess was the first sign that something was up," Roach told the Las Vegas Review Journal.