Will Oleksandr Usyk-Tyson Fury ever happen? When? We have some answers،
The long-awaited fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight title has been postponed after Fury suffered a deep cut to his right eye during training on Friday.
Fury and Usyk will still meet for heavyweight supremacy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, but not on February 17 as planned. It is unclear when this fight will take place. Once Fury, who sources say received 15 stitches to close the gash, is examined further by a doctor, the fight schedule will become clearer.
For now, boxing fans are left with the disappointment of seeing the sport's biggest fight removed from the calendar, as well as the comfort that the fight is being rescheduled.
What does all this mean? We'll take a look:
How did Fury get the cut?
FURY VS USYK DECLARATION pic.twitter.com/z7nf4Q3N70
– Queensberry Promotions (@Queensberry) February 2, 2024
Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) was putting the finishing touches on training camp in Riyadh when he suffered a horrific cut to his right eye while training on Friday.
Fury, sources told ESPN, required 15 stitches to close the gash, making it impossible for him to fight in two weeks.
A video that circulated on social media shows Fury, wearing headgear, absorbing an elbow from his training partner before “The Gypsy King” paused the action. Fury's promoter Queensberry posted a photo of the cut that shows the severity.
“I’m absolutely devastated after preparing for this fight for so long and being in such superb condition,” Fury said. “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.”
Typically, fighters complete their fight for 10 days. So this was one of Fury's last training sessions before the fight.
Will Usyk fight again on February 17?
Efforts are being made for Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs) to stay on the Feb. 17 date and defend all three of his heavyweight titles, but nothing has been finalized yet. If the 36-year-old Ukrainian fights on that date, the favorite to replace Fury is Filip Hrgovic.
Croatian Hrgovic (17-0, 14 KOs) is ESPN's No. 6 heavyweight. He has previously competed twice in Riyadh, including a controversial decision victory over Zhilei Zhang in August 2022 in the co-main event of the Usyk-Joshua rematch.
Hrgovic, 31, is the IBF's mandatory challenger for the organization's heavyweight championship held by Usyk, who also holds the WBO and IBF belts.
“Now that Fury has been injured, I’m ready to step in and fight Usyk,” Hrgovic told ESPN on Friday. “Let's go Usyk, you owe me my obligatory shot. It's time to finally face me.”
When could Fury-Usyk be postponed?
It all depends on how serious Fury's cut is following a medical examination. Typically, it takes about four to six weeks for tissue to rebuild to peak strength, and given the location of the cut (directly over Fury's right eye), the heavyweight champ heavy duty personnel will need to ensure that he is fully recovered.
Perhaps most alarming is that Fury, 35, was previously cut in roughly the same area, and the scar tissue likely made him more vulnerable to this and another cut.
When Englishman Fury was lined up for his rematch with Deontay Wilder, he put together a tune-up fight against Otto Wallin in September 2019. The fight was much tougher than expected and left Fury with a horrific cut to his back. right eye which required 46 stitches.
Given that Fury won't be able to train for nearly six weeks, in all likelihood, and will need an eight-week training camp to prepare for Usyk, the timetable for the rescheduled fight could be late May to early June.
And if Usyk does indeed fight on February 17, that could also complicate the rescheduled fight date. Usyk would have to come out of the fight without any injuries to maintain this same time frame.
What makes Fury-Usyk a great fight?
Fury and Usyk aren't just the two best heavyweights in the world. The fight would also feature a rare meeting between two heavyweights who are both on the pound-for-pound list.
Both Fury and Usyk are all-time great boxers on their way to the Hall of Fame. The fight will also crown boxing's first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis in 2000 and the first in the four-belt era.
Fury and Usyk have been circling each other for years and appeared close to an agreement for an April 2023 fight at London's Wembley Stadium before talks collapsed.
The promotion was not a friendly one, with both boxers taunting each other. Fury, of course, is coming off a lackluster performance in October when he struggled to outpoint former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.
Usyk is coming off a ninth-round knockout victory over Daniel Dubois in August. Usyk's resume includes an Olympic gold medal, an undisputed cruiserweight title reign and two heavyweight title victories over Joshua.
Fury's resume features a classic heavyweight trilogy with Deontay Wilder, which included two wins for Fury and one draw. The third meeting was named Fight of the Year and Knockout of the Year by ESPN, and is considered one of the greatest fights in the history of the heavyweight division.
Fury also ended Hall of Famer Wladimir Klitschko's reign in 2015.
