Tony Bellew could be sidelined for several months as he faces surgery on a fractured hand.
The 34-year-old from Liverpool sustained the injury in his 11th-round heavyweight stoppage of David Haye in London earlier this month.
"I have spent time with my surgeon so he could assess what is going on and what we do going forward," Bellew told Sky Sports on Wednesday.
"I will just leave it with him - he knows best. I have damaged my hand. In there is some kind of tear. You have some sort of capsule over each knuckle and I've split it.
"I've also got a fracture in the hand, but when people just say, 'You've broken your hand', essentially I have, but it is a fracture. It's going to take a little bit of time, but we'll take it from there."
Bellew is in no rush to return to the ring after he upset the odds with his stunning victory against Haye on March 4.
Promoter Eddie Hearn claimed earlier this week that Bellew will fight later this year, with Haye, who ruptured his right Achilles at the O2 Arena, Joseph Parker, Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury all possible opponents.
Source: PA
