Glory 24 was dealt a crushing blow Wednesday afternoon when the kickboxing promotion announced a major change to its Oct. 9 main event. Glory middleweight champion Artem Levin suffered an elbow injury in training and will no longer face Joe Schilling in their anticipated rubber match at Magness Arena in Denver.
“While it’s unfortunate that our champion was injured and we wish him a speedy recovery, we are still able to put together a fight between two of the very best middleweights in the world,” Glory CEO Jon Franklin said in a statement. “It speaks to the depth of talent on our roster and Jason stepped-up with no hesitation.”
“The third fight between Levin and Schilling will happen in the Glory ring at some point,” Franklin added. “But make no mistake; this match-up at Glory 24 has huge implications for one of our deepest divisions.”
The promotion also announced that K-1 and UFC veteran Pat Barry wil return to the Glory ring to take on Karl Roberson. Additional bouts, including the participants in the event’s one-night, four-man heavyweight contender tournament, will be announced soon.