A rematch bout pitting Ashraf Suleiman against Awadh Tamim will no longer take place after the latter headed off to Sweden.

The duo whose first bout ended prematurely following crowd trouble were to fight in mid November, vying for the Tanzania Professional Boxing Commission's heavyweight title.

The bout organiser, Shomari Kimbau told The Citizen yesterday that they had duly informed the TPBC of Tamim's departure.

He disclosed that the boxer went to Sweden for training and would stay there for more than three months.

"It's bad news for all boxing fans who have been waiting for the bout eagerly, but there is nothing we could do to prevent him from leaving," he said.

Responding to the departure of his fierce rival, Ashraf had this to say, "It's not a big deal because I'll now meet a genuine contender."

"There are many talented boxers who can fight me and thrill the fans to the maximum hopefully I'll get an opponent within a month," he said.

The first bout was marred by poor refereeing which incited the fans to invade the ring.