Fury Vs Usyk: Fight Postponed Due To Sparring Injury
The undisputed heavyweight world title fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk has been postponed after Fury sustained a cut in sparring.
WBC champion Fury and IBF, WBA, and WBO title holder Usyk were scheduled to clash in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on February 17 in what would have been the first undisputed heavyweight bout of the four-belt era.
However, after reports emerged on Friday claiming Fury had suffered a cut in sparring during his training camp, an official statement has been released confirming the fight has been delayed.
“WBC Heavyweight Champion Tyson Fury has been forced to postpone his fight with unified Champion Oleksandr Usyk after sustaining a freak cut during a sparring session in Riyadh,” the statement read. “The cut, which opened above Fury’s right eye, required urgent medical attention and significant stitching, and will obviously require a period of recovery, scuppering any possibility of the fight with Usyk taking place on 17th February in Saudi Arabia.”
“I am absolutely devastated after preparing fr this fight for s long and being in such superb condition,” Fury said in the statement. “I feel bad for everyone involved in this huge event and I will work diligently towards the rescheduled date once the eye has healed. I can only apologise to everyone affected including my own team, Team Usyk, the undercard fighters, partners, and fans as well as our hosts and my friends in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”
Boxing News, who first reported the postponement, understands that Filip Hrgovic could be called in as a last-minute replacement for Fury. The Croatian is the mandatory challenger to Usyk’s IBF title.
Fury and Usyk were initially contracted for an immediate rematch, and it had been confirmed by the IBF that the title would be vacated if the second bout went ahead before Usyk fought Hrgovic. With the expected postponement of ‘Ring of Fire’, it could allow Usyk to fulfill his mandatory obligations before facing Fury back to back.
Fury’s cut, understood to have been sustained through an accidental clash of heads, was so severe that the 35-year-old Briton required 15 stitches. It is also being claimed that Usyk’s team have been told that it may be several months until Fury will be ready, pushing the fight to June at the earliest.
The postponement is a bitter blow for fight fans as excitement started to build towards a historic night of boxing. It is also less than ideal for local organizers, who had earmarked Fury vs Usyk as a key event of Riyadh Season – Saudi Arabia’s annual entertainment and sports festival. If reports of a rearranged fight for June come to fruition, Riyadh Season will be long finished, while the severe summer heat in Saudi Arabia will be in full force.
The news of Fury’s injury comes after reports that ‘The Gypsy King’ has endured a less than ideal training camp. There were rumours that Fury had been dropped in sparring by cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia – rumours that have since been denied by the Australian’s team.
Former world champion and current analyst Johnny Nelson had shared his concerns over Fury’s preparation, particularly when compared with Usyk’s camp.
“If what I’m hearing is correct in the Tyson Fury camp, it ain’t good,” Nelson told Mirror Fighting. “I’ve always said Tyson beats Usyk, but the Tyson that turned up against Ngannou doesn’t beat Usyk. The Tyson that I’m hearing about how his training camp is going doesn’t beat Usyk.
“This Tyson Fury is surprisingly quiet, it means he is either completely focused and in the zone or it’s a bad sign. I want to see him touch down in Saudi and know that it’s on. After this weekend, that’s it. It’s fight week.”
On what he’s learned from the Usyk camp, Nelson added: “I’m hearing in the Usyk camp he’s been mullering every one of his five sparring partners and they’ve had to take it down to six rounds and the guys are pulling out. They are big guys, the sparring partners don’t see it going any other way.”
None of that particularly matters now the fight is not going ahead. The Briton’s previous visit to Saudi Arabia almost ended in embarrassment but he escaped with a split decision win over former UFC champion Francis Ngannou on the Cameroonian’s boxing debut.
