03 February 2024 , 19:28
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Tyson Fury will fight Oleksandr Usyk on May 18 after the much-anticipated heavyweight bout was rescheduled.
Fury was scheduled to fight Usyk in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, February 17 to become undisputed heavyweight world champion. But the fight was postponed on Friday after Fury sustained a deep cut above his right eye while sparring.
The 35-year-old Brit required 11 stitches to the gash and needs time for it to heal. But it has taken just a day for Saudi officials to find a new date for the fight, which will see Fury or Usyk take the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO heavyweight world titles and become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world - something that hasn't happened since Lennox Lewis beat Evander Holyfield in 1999.
Usyk’s team had been keen to draft in Croatian Filip Hrgovic as a late replacement for two weeks' time, but that plan has now been dropped. Fury struggled to beat former UFC world champion Francis Ngannou in October, but claimed he was in fantastic shape in his training camp until the injury struck.
Fury appeared on Ariel Helwani's YouTube show on Saturday night to discuss the rescheduled date. He said: "Yesterday morning sparring, arranged to spar 12 rounds with four different guys. In round five I got an elbow in the eye, been to the hospital and got 11 stitches - nothing much anything can do about cut in sparring, s*** happens."
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He added: "I was very disappointed, I've been in Saudi Arabia five weeks training and everything was going fantastic. It’s a cut that you can’t help and these things happen in camp sometimes. I know His Excellency has spent a lot of money on promotion, there’s nothing that anybody can do. It’s gods will."
Fury pulled out after suffering a nasty gash (Queensberry)
Tyson Fury only narrowly beat Francis Ngannou (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)Saudi Arabia royal advisor Turki Alalshikh said: "We’ve delayed this fight until 18 may, I’ve guaranteed both fighters 10 million if someone has escaped the fight. I also guarantee another big fight on the same night.
"I will make fans around the world know if someone is scared for this fight. If Usyk is scared I will call for [Anthony] Joshua-Tyson, if Tyson is scared I will call for another fighter that Usyk wants. I don’t want them to fight in front of the fans but on the 18th May we will have an answer."
The fight has been a long time coming, with a proposed date at Wembley last April and another before Christmas in Saudi Arabia coming and going. A spokesperson for promoter Frank Warren said on Friday: “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.”