Tyson Fury labelled "embarrassing" as he pulls out of Oleksandr Usyk fight
Tyson Fury has been slammed by boxing fans after pulling out of his fight with Oleksandr Usyk with just two weeks' notice.
Fury was scheduled to fight Usyk in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, February 17 for the undisputed heavyweight world title. But the much-anticipated bout has now been postponed after Fury suffered what his promotion team described as "a freak cut during a sparring session in Riyadh" which "required urgent medical attention and significant stitching".
The 35-year-old released a statement saying he was “absolutely devastated” by the injury and the decision. He claimed he was in “superb condition” before suffering the cut in sparring, but boxing fans are not convinced and took to social media to make their feelings clear.
“Tyson Fury is finished, that’s what it is. This fight will never happen,” one wrote on Twitter. Another added: “Never known someone to become so embarrassing in a sport as Tyson Fury in boxing.”
Another disappointed fan wrote: “Was waiting on something like this – not surprised one bit. Tyson Fury the artful dodger”. Another concluded: “Take the belts off of Tyson Fury at this stage. It's genuinely embarrassing.”
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This is the third time the fight has been pushed back. A proposed fight at Wembley in April passed by and it had been due to take place on December 23, only to be delayed when Fury struggled to defeat former UFC world champion Francis Ngannou in October. Rumours have since been swirling about his condition during training camp, but the Brit vowed to come back stronger.
“I am absolutely devastated after preparing for this fight for so long and being in such superb condition,” he said. I feel bad for everyone involved in this huge event and | will work diligently towards the rescheduled date once the eye has healed.
Tyson Fury has a cut above his right eye (Queensberry/Twitter)
Tyson Fury only narrowly beat Francis Ngannou (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)“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.”
A spokesperson for promoter Frank Warren said: “Whilst this is still breaking news it is clearly a massive disappointment, after the work that has been done by so many people to finally deliver this historic event to the world.
“Once the Doctors have appraised Tyson’s eye, we will have a better idea of the period of recovery needed. Once known we will work diligently with all the stakeholders and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to reschedule this fight as soon as possible and will of course keep everyone updated with developments.”
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