Longtime junior welterweight contender Steve Claggett was due to face Jamaine Ortiz in the chief support on a MVP show in Orlando, Florida this weekend. However, the Canadian tore a tendon in his left shoulder which ruled him out of contention for their crossroads matchup.

Claggett (39-8-2, 27 KOs) initially tried to tough it out and push through the pain before doctors delivered news he didn't want.

"I was training with just my right hand, sparring, everything with just my right in anticipation of my left hand returning," Claggett told The Ring.

"It took two weeks and going on the third week it still wasn't better, so I figured something was actually wrong with it."

"I was flying to Montreal, so didn't get a chance to figure it out correctly until I got there. I finally got some actually tests and they said the tendon is torn. The doctors were like, 'If you fight with this, you're going to ruin it forever.' As soon as they said that, it's not worth it and I had to make the choice.

"It was devastating for me because this was an opportunity that I was really looking forward to, for a long time - one of those cards that gets a lot of attention.

Instead, fellow one-time title challenger Ortiz will face 19-2 pro Ambiorix Bautista (19-2, 11 KOs) on short-notice over ten rounds. The 36-year-old Canadian, who turned professional in 2008, is working diligently to get better and make up for lost time at a later date.

"The doctor told me it was seven-to-eight weeks. I am pretty optimistic, have a pretty good sense of my own body and feel like I've been getting better every day. I'm almost at the point of using it again, not throwing it hard. I'd say give me a month; I'll be alright."

Claggett has posted pictures in the weight room this week as he builds back to fitness and while nothing has come easy for him, the one-time title challenger intends to box again on one of his promoter, Eye of The Tiger's fall shows, with the world title dream still intact.

"I'm gonna recover, gonna be back," he continued. "It's a dream and goal I worked toward my whole life, something I'm very hungry for. I feel like I've done alright, still going strong.

"Knowing I've been in there with the top guys, faced the best in the world. I'd done it for a long time, spent a lifetime in this game and now it's time to go and prove it. I need my opportunity and preparation to line up with it."