Tyson Fury OUT of Oleksandr Usyk bout
Tyson Fury has been forced out of the undisputed heavyweight championship fight with Oleksandr Usyk due to a cut on his eye sustained in sparring. The bout was originally scheduled for February 17th in Saudi Arabia. See the photo below.
Just two weeks before the fight, fans were alerted by Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated on Friday morning that the bout was indeed off.
Tyson Fury has suffered a cut in training and is out of the undisputed heavyweight title fight with Oleksandr Usyk, Usyk's manager, Egis Klimas, told @SInow.
— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) February 2, 2024
Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk off
The announcement comes off the heels of a hot trailer promoting the fight from the Saudis, themselves. Usyk and his team are being told that Fury will be a few months out and that Filip Hrgovic is being tossed around as Fury’s replacement.
In a statement, Tyson Fury said, “I am absolutely devastated after preparing for this fight for so long and being in such superb condition. 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.”
In addition, a spokesperson from the WBC added the following:
“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.”
Fans have been calling for Fury and Usyk to unify for some time now. It seems as if that may not happen this time around. But the way things are going, the Saudis will figure out the details and get the fans what they want to see most.
