By Elliot Foster

Isaac Lowe was dealt a blow earlier this week after Boxing Scene broke the news that his defence of the Commonwealth featherweight title was off.

The 22-year-old Morecambe man, 12-0-1 (5 KOs), was set to put his rainbow belt at stake this weekend, live on Sky Sports.

Lowe, who is nicknamed ‘The Westgate Warrior’, had been slated to come up against former super-bantamweight world title challenger Tshifhiwa Munyai (27-4-1 (15 KOs), as part of the undercard to Anthony Crolla’s world lightweight title showdown against Jorge Linares at Manchester Arena on Saturday (September 24).

But the fight was curtailed –– for the second time –– on Monday after ‘The Atomic Spider’s’ withdrawal was confirmed by personnel at Matchroom Boxing.

And now, after digesting the disappointment, a member of Lowe’s team, who did not want to be named, has contacted Boxing Scene to give their view on the matter.

“We always felt that the fight wasn’t going to happen,” the source said.

“We’ve been told it’s a visa issue with Munyai, but that doesn’t excuse Isaac having to take six weeks off work to train for this fight.

A replacement, in the shape of Spanish-based Nicaraguan Elvis Guillen (9-24-4, 6 KOs), has already been found for Lowe, who is trained by JJ Harrington and will now box over eight rounds.

But there has been further anguish expressed by his team after the debacle regarding Munyai.

“It’s unprofessional from Munyai's team to let it get to this stage without a response or apology, for that matter,” the source continued. “Visa issues should have been dealt with a while back between the promoter and manager, not on fight week.

“Isaac is a young boy, trying to make his way in boxing and has sold £12,000 in tickets for what will [be an eight-round contest] now. It's not right.

The final head-to-head press conference, on Thursday in Manchester, will feature Lowe and the rest of the undercard.

And our source believes that the man who stopped Marco McCullough to win the Commonwealth crown in February will have a few harsh words to say about the South African.

“Expect Isaac to speak his mind at the press conference. He's a good, honest, hard working kid but he doesn't care what people think and will speak his mind.”