The boxing world should wait to see the crowning of an undisputed heavyweight champion.
The pay-per-view showdown between titleholders Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, scheduled for Feb. 17 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, has been postponed after Fury suffered a minimize over his proper eye in sparring.
Fury’s co-promoter, Queensbury, known as the harm a “freak minimize” within the assertion asserting the postponement.
No new date for the struggle has been introduced.
FURY VS USYK STATEMENT pic.twitter.com/z7nf4Q3N70
— Queensberry Promotions (@Queensberry) February 2, 2024
“The minimize … required pressing medical consideration and vital stitching, and can clearly require a interval of restoration, scuppering any chance of the struggle with Usyk happening on seventeenth February in Saudi Arabia,” Queensbury mentioned within the assertion.
Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) suffered an enormous minimize in the identical location as the present harm in his unanimous choice victory over Otto Wallin in September 2019, however he had no vital points in his subsequent 5 fights.
He mentioned he’s gutted by the postponement.
“I’m completely devastated after getting ready for this struggle for therefore lengthy and being in such an excellent situation,” Fury mentioned within the Queensbury assertion. “I really feel unhealthy for everybody concerned on this large occasion and I’ll work diligently in the direction of the rescheduled date as soon as the attention has healed.
“I can solely apologize to everybody affected together with my very own crew, Workforce Usyk, the undercard fighters, companions, and followers in addition to our hosts and my pals within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”
A Queensbury spokesman mentioned the timing of the rescheduled struggle will depend upon the therapeutic course of.
“As soon as the docs have appraised Tyson’s eye, we may have a greater concept of the interval of restoration wanted,” the spokesman mentioned. “As soon as identified we are going to work diligently with all of the stakeholders and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to reschedule the struggle as quickly as attainable and can after all maintain everybody up to date with developments.”
Sky Sports activities reported that the minimize occurred throughout a sparring session with Croatian southpaw Agron Smakici.
Fury, 35, is coming off the worst efficiency of his profession, a break up choice over MMA star Francis Ngannou on Oct. 28. Ngannou was making his skilled boxing debut.
The struggle with Usyk was Fury’s probability to show his poor efficiency was a fluke and add to his legacy by turning into the primary undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis.
Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs) has made a powerful case that he’s the most effective heavyweight after outpointing former champ Anthony Joshua twice, in 2021 and 2022. He final fought on Aug. 26, when he acquired up from a knockdown to cease Daniel Dubois in 9 rounds.
