ROBIN Reid's pursuit of super-middleweight supremacy in 2005 has been rocked by injury.

The Reaperman faces a bleak winter out of the ring after a training run fall left him with a badly gashed head.

"It's quite a deep cut and it's ruled him out of a 10-rounder he was going to have in Manchester," his coach, Brian Hughes said.

"It's frustrating but he's just got to be patient and keep ticking over in the gym.

"Robbie is still chasing a world title fight and is still highly ranked so we'll bide our time and pursue it in the New Year."

The most likely route to glory in the ever-changing 12 stone division is the WBA title, now held by Denmark's Mikkel Kessler, who destroyed Mani Siaca in seven rounds in Copenhagen recently.

Mindful that time is no longer on his side, the 33-year-old will be desperate to reap the rewards of his summer victory over Brian Magee and promoter Jess Harding has assured fans they will see him in action next year.

He said: "Robin Reid will be boxing in the UK next year, we just have to see how the division develops in the next few months.

"He's very well placed to become mandatory challenger for the WBA and the IBF picture could clear up once Jeff Lacy fights again. Reid versus Kessler could be a very interesting fight and both boxers have very good chins.

"We'll definitely be working towards making the most of Robin's strong position in the rankings once he's fit again."