WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury suffered a serious cut while sparring this week and was forced to postpone his upcoming title fight against WBA, IBF, and WBO kingpin Oleksandr Usyk, previously scheduled for Sat., Feb. 17, 2024 at Kingdom Hall in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Fury was previously expected to compete against the Ukrainian on Dec. 23; however, a disastrous showing against former UFC heavyweight kingpin Francis Ngannou late last year (watch highlights here) left “The Gypsy King” unable to meet his contracted date.
Now it’s being delayed once again.
“I am absolutely devastated after preparing for this fight for so long and being in such superb condition,” Fury said in today’s statement. “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.”
Usyk’s manager, Egis Klimas, told SI Now “it could be several months before Fury is ready to fight.” In addition, IBF mandatory title challenger, Filip Hrgovic, has volunteered to replace Fury and compete in the Feb. 17 headliner, though nothing is official at this time.
No word yet on when Fury vs. Usyk will be rescheduled but it’s probably fair to say it will remain in Riyadh, especially considering how much money has already been spent to market and promote their heavyweight pay-per-view (PPV) showdown.
Expect more details on this recent turn of events in the coming days.
This story originally appeared on MMA Mania
