Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk will NOT HAPPEN on February, and now all attention turns to when IT MIGHT.
‘The Gypsy King’ (34-0-1) had been due to lock horns with the Ukrainian genius Usyk (21-0) in Riyadh later this month with the winner crowned as the sport’s first undisputed world heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis back in 1999.
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Those plans lay in tatters by early evening though, with the seismic news that Fury had sustained a ‘freak cut’ in sparring on Friday morning. The superfight, for now, was postponed.
Queensberry Promotions, Fury’s promoter, released a statement outlining next steps. Doctors will assess the severity of Fury’s injury before a rescheduled date can be planned.
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The aforementioned Lewis – a three-time world heavyweight king who retired in 2003 with a 41-2-1 record – gave his take on what had gone down. And predicted when Fury might be back.
Writing on Twitter, he said: “Tough break for Tyson Fury. This cut is n same area as one he got in Wallin fight. He’s probably gonna need about 6 stitches and 3 months to heal. The saga continues…”
Reports later in the day claimed Fury’s cut had actually required 15 stitches to close, but the Wallin comparison still might be a useful one here.
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The gruesome gash sustained by ‘The Gypsy King’ in that win over the Swede in September 19 required 47 stitches. He would return to action some five months later to dethrone WBC king Deontay Wilder in their Las Vegas rematch in February 2020.
Reports suggest that a rescheduled summer date – maybe June or July – is now likely for Fury vs Usyk. We await the next steps in a long and winding road to a new undisputed heavyweight king.
