WHAT a difference a day makes.

British heavyweight maverick Tyson Fury grabbed headlines across the globe last week for dressing up as Batman (honestly) for his press conference with world king Wladimir Klitschko.

But just 24 hours later, the Ukrainian legend pulled out of their proposed fight on October 24 in Düsseldorf with a calf injury much to the dismay of boxing fans and especially team Fury.

Love him or loathe him, the outspoken and regularly hilarious Fury has been cursed with postponements for the past two years.

In 2013, his megabucks clash with fellow Brit David Haye was postponed and eventually cancelled due to Haye suffering an injury.

The following year Fury’s bout with Dereck Chisora had to be postponed due to the gravely ill health of his uncle Hughie who later died. But the pair eventually clashed last November in London where the 27-year-old Fury stopped Chisora over 10 dominant rounds.

Klitschko’s alleged injury brings another case of déjà vu for Fury. The fight has now been touted for 2016 but it may never happen.

Fury’s not the only fighter to suffer from such a rotten streak of luck.

Many of the greats had to endure mentally testing waits for fights and for some, there were fights that for one reason or another did not happen.

In fact, the two fights which ultimately made Muhammad Ali one of the world’s most iconic figures were once on the brink of collapse!

After losing his world heavyweight title from Cassius Clay earlier in the year, Sonny Liston sought revenge from the man now reborn as Ali in late 1964.

But three days before the rematch, Ali suffered from a nasty inguinal hernia – not that Liston believed him.

The pair finally met in May 1965, Ali fully refreshed and Liston, a fighter on the slide.

That night in Lewiston, Maine spawned the iconic image of Ali standing over Liston and hollering “Get up and fight, sucker!” before eventually finishing Liston with the infamous ‘phantom punch’.

Ali too was a victim of postponements. After George Foreman suffered a cut in sparring and the fight scheduled for September 25, 1974 was pushed back six weeks to October 30.

In those six weeks Ali managed to regroup and concoct his rope-a-dope strategy to defeat the man who many believed could have killed him in the ring.

At least those fights got to happen.

Boxing fans were robbed of the chance to see some truly mouth-watering showdowns – almost all for unfathomable reasons.

Lennox Lewis Vs Riddick Bowe, Lewis Vs Wladimir Klitschko II, Sugar Ray Leonard Vs Aaron Pryor and Erik Morales Vs Juan Manuel Marquez are just a few examples.

Perhaps Fury’s setbacks are meant to be.

Just imagine if Ali’s defining fights didn’t happen and he remembered for being really good rather than The Greatest.

Fury’s greatest moment may be waiting round the corner.