Undefeated WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury has decided to withdraw from the highly anticipated heavyweight title unification bout against Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk, which was originally scheduled for Feb. 17.
Fury acknowledged the multiple reports circulating on Friday, confirming that he had suffered a deep cut over his right eye during a sparring session in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The extent of the injury necessitated urgent medical attention and considerable stitching, as indicated by his representatives.
The 35-year-old shared a photo of the injury on social media along with a statement expressing his disappointment about the delay in the matchup with the IBF, IBO, WBA, and WBO belt holder. Fury expressed his devastation at having prepared extensively for the fight and being in peak physical condition.
“I am absolutely devastated after preparing for this fight for so long and being in such superb condition,” Fury wrote. “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 apologize 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.”
Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) and Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs) were initially set to headline a major pay-per-view event at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh. Reports suggest that the rescheduled date might be sometime in June at the same venue. However, if Saudi Arabia’s Turki Alalshikh does not cancel the event, Usyk could have the opportunity to defend his titles against a different opponent.
The original bout between Fury and Usyk, both in their mid-thirties, aimed to establish the first fully unified heavyweight champion of boxing’s four-belt era. While Filip Hrgovic is a potential candidate for Usyk to fulfill his obligations with the IBF, it would not be the highly anticipated matchup that fans were eagerly anticipating.
The rivalry between Fury and Usyk began during their first news conference in November, where they literally butted heads after a tense face-off attended by Sylvester Stallone.
Tensions escalated immediately, with Fury directing a barrage of insults at Usyk. The unified champion welcomed the remarks before the situation almost turned physical.
Fury stands to gain significantly from a fight with Usyk, especially after narrowly avoiding disaster against MMA champ-turned-boxer Francis Ngannou.
On the other hand, Usyk’s most recent outing had its own controversy, with a questionable low-blow call during the ninth-round KO of Daniel Dubois, granting Usyk four minutes of recovery time.
