BILOXI, September 14, 2008 (AFP) - Nate Campbell won't get a chance to defend his lightweight world titles Saturday after unbeaten challenger Joan Guzman failed to make weight.

Guzman was reported to be dehydrated after trying to make weight, which he missed by three pounds, and was said to have decided himself that he wasn't fit to fight.

'I'm disappointed,' Campbell told Showtime television, the cable network carrying the bout. 'I really trained hard for this fight. I wanted to fight. I'd have fought him at 30 pounds over.'

Campbell was a 3-1 underdog when he upset previously unbeaten Juan Diaz on March 8 in Cancun, Mexico. He captured the International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Association belts as well as the lightly regarded World Boxing Organization crown with with a 116-111, 115-112 and 113-114 split decision.

Campbell improved to 32-5-1 with 25 knockouts, but pundits had predicted he wouldn't be able to back up that win.

Campbell, 36, was poised to enter the ring as an underdog against the Dominican Republic's Guzman, who boasts a record of 28-0 with 17 knockouts.

'What's strange about this fight is that I have three belts and I still don't get any respect,' Campbell said. 'All the other guys get the praises and respect, but I'm always the underdog.

After the fight was cancelled, Campbell said he would just turn his attention to a future bout.

'I'm still world champion,' he said. 'I still have all my titles intact. I'll go back to the drawing board and train.'

As for Guzman, Campbell told Showtime: 'He knows better... He didn't want to fight.'

Still on the card, WBC light welterweight champion Timothy Bradley will make his first defence of the title against Edner Cherry.

Bradley, undefeated with 11 of his 22 victories coming by knockout, won the title by split decision over Junior Witter on May 10.

Cherry, who brings a record of 24-5-2 with 12 knockouts, will be moving up in weight.