BREMERTON, Wash. -- The man slated to fight a woman in a coed boxing match has pulled out, the fight's promoter said.

But the fight will go on with a different male boxer, said Bob Jarvis of Tom O'Malley Promotions.

Hector Morales of Vancouver, British Columbia, was to fight Margaret McGregor of Bremerton on Oct. 9. But Morales pulled out after becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the idea, Jarvis said.

"He kept talking about all the publicity the fight has received," Jarvis said. "He kept saying he couldn't believe how many phone calls he has received, how many newspaper stories have been written and how many broadcast stories have been aired.

"Frankly, I can't blame him. "For a guy making his pro debut, the world spotlight would be a hard thing to deal with, especially from the male point of view."

Morales' trainer, Loi Chow, also a lightweight boxer, signed a contract agreeing to take Morales' place should he withdraw, Jarvis said.

The new matchup needs approval from the Washington State Boxing Commission, which gave the go-ahead to the Morales-McGregor bout after considering it for three weeks.

"She wants this to happen," said McGregor's trainer, Vern Miller, who said he's optimistic the second fight will be approved. Miller said Chow is an equal match for McGregor, who has a 3-0 professional record against women.