Tyson Fury cut in training; Feb. 17 bout vs. Oleksandr Usyk ppd.،
Tyson Fury suffered a cut to his right eye during training Friday that required stitches and his undisputed heavyweight championship fight against Oleksandr Usyk on Feb. 17 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, has been postponed , said Fury's promoter Queensberry.
“I'm absolutely devastated after preparing for this fight for so long and being in such superb condition,” said Fury, who held his training camp in Riyadh. “I feel bad for everyone involved in this huge event and will work diligently to set the date once the eye has healed.
“I can only apologize to everyone involved, 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.”
FURY VS USYK DECLARATION pic.twitter.com/z7nf4Q3N70
– Queensberry Promotions (@Queensberry) February 2, 2024
The makeup date has not yet been determined.
“Once doctors evaluate Tyson’s eye, we will have a better idea of the recovery period needed,” a spokesperson for Queensberry Promotions said in a statement. “Once we know, we will work diligently with all stakeholders and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to reschedule this fight as soon as possible and we will of course keep everyone informed of developments.”
Upon hearing the news of Fury's injury, heavyweight contender Filip Hrgovic told ESPN that he wanted to fight Usyk for his three heavyweight titles on February 17.
Croatian Hrgovic (17-0, 14 KOs) is ESPN's No. 6 heavyweight. The 31-year-old is the IBF's mandatory challenger for the organization's heavyweight championship held by Usyk (he also holds the WBO and IBF belts).
“Now that Fury has been injured, I’m ready to step in and fight Usyk,” Hrgovic said. “Let's go Usyk, you owe me my obligatory shot. It's time to finally face me.”
A fight between Usyk and Hrgovic is under consideration, sources said, as Usyk looks to stay in Riyadh on February 17.
Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) and Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs) were scheduled to face off in two weeks in the most anticipated heavyweight title fight since Lennox Lewis-Mike Tyson in 2002.
Fury-Usyk was originally scheduled for Dec. 23 before Fury fought a tougher-than-expected bout with former UFC champion Francis Ngannou in October in Riyadh. Fury was cut on the forehead and left eye en route to a split decision victory over Ngannou, who was making his professional boxing debut.
Fury, 35, was even knocked out in the third round, the seventh knockdown of his illustrious career. Fury and Usyk signed contracts for their long-awaited battle for heavyweight supremacy weeks before “The Gypsy King” stepped through the ropes to fight Ngannou in their 10-round non-title fight.
Usyk, 36, is an Olympic gold medalist and former undisputed cruiserweight champion. The Ukrainian won all three of his titles against Anthony Joshua in 2021. Usyk retained the titles in the 2022 rematch with another decision against Joshua in Saudi Arabia.
Usyk last fought in August, when he scored a ninth-round knockout over Daniel Dubois in Poland. Usyk is ESPN's No. 2 and No. 3 pound-for-pound heavyweight boxer. Fury is ESPN's No. 1 heavyweight boxer and No. 10 pound-for-pound. The Englishman Fury has fought twice in 2022, both victories by TKO in London football stadiums (in April against Dillian Whyte and in December against Derek Chisora).
This is Fury's second reign. He beat another Ukrainian, Wladimir Klitschko, in 2015 for three heavyweight titles by surprise decision. Fury never defended these titles and remained out of the ring for 2 1/2 years due to depression and drug addiction. He weighed over 400 pounds during this time.
After Fury returned from that hiatus, he established himself as one of boxing's biggest stars with a classic heavyweight title trilogy against Deontay Wilder, whom he stopped twice after a draw during the first meeting. Fury's third fight with Wilder was the 2021 Fight of the Year and ESPN's Knockout of the Year.
The Fury-Usyk deal contains a two-way rematch clause, virtually guaranteeing two straight fights between them for tens of millions of dollars.
