Hand injury forces Jaraya out of Scheinson fight

A severe hand injury has forced Mohammed Jaraya to withdraw from his GLORY 53 LILLE showdown with Alan Scheinson next week.   ‘The Destroyer’ has been suffering issues with his right hand for several months, even before his GLORY 51 ROTTERDAM debut, and things became so severe in recent weeks that he was hardly able to use the hand in training at all.    "I want to apologize to all my fans, I've been trying to work through this injury but it became too much. Even for my debut fight against Miles Simson I had problems with it. Things got worse and my coaches made the decision to pull me out of the fight,” Jaraya said today.   “For most of the seven weeks training camp I was working only with my left hand. My coaches at Team Colosseum told me they were going to cancel the fight and I said no, I will fight with one hand, it’s ok. But they told me this was of course not an option.    “Doctors have examined my hand and told me that I must rest it for at least six weeks before attempting to begin any kind of training again. So now I will follow their instructions and begin the road to recovery and back to the ring.   “I want to thank my fans for all their support at this difficult time, it means a lot to me. I apologize to Alan Scheinson for withdrawing from our fight. I wish him and all the other welterweights the best of luck in their coming fights - I'll be back soon to see you all.”   Danny De Vries, head coach at The Colosseum, reiterated the severity of Jaraya’s injury and said he had a hard time persuading the youngster that it would not be possible to fight with just his left hand.    “He is devastated, absolutely devastated. He didn’t want to pull out, we pulled him out. He was almost crying, telling us no, I can fight with my left hand, it will be OK. But there was no way we would allow that,” he said, finding it impossible not to smile at Jaraya’s determination.   “It’s hard news for him right now but it’s a bump in the road. The important thing is the longer journey. He has to take the time now to recover and to take the doctors’ advice and when they say he is clear to return to training, then we arrange his next fight and we take it from there.”   Jaraya’s  place against Scheinson has been taken by French newcomer Mickaël Lopes Da Veiga (52-8-1, 12 KO’s), who fights out of Pontoise, a northern suburb of Paris.    With roots in full-contact karate, he will now look to take full advantage of this opportunity on home soil by seeking a win over GLORY veteran Scheinson on May 12.