If you’re a fight fan, then you’ve just woken up to a nightmare, as the long-awaited undisputed heavyweight title fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk has been postponed.
The fight was originally scheduled for February 17 at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
On Friday, ESPN’s Mike Coppinger sent out a tweet that no one wanted to read confirming through his sources that the fight was off.
Given the hype and money that has already been invested in this event, it is not a stretch to label this turn of events as disastrous for the sport.
Why was Tyson Fury vs. canceled? Oleksandr Usyk?
Coppinger’s tweet made for disheartening reading.
“Tyson Fury suffered a severe cut today during sparring that required stitches and his undisputed heavyweight championship fight with Oleksandr Usyk, scheduled for February 17 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, has been postponed, sources tell ESPN. “.
With Fury suffering a cut that requires stitches, there is simply no way he can fight in two weeks. While the wound should be healing at this point, the flesh would still be fragile and could reopen with the slightest of blows.
The situation is very similar to the delay suffered by the original date of George Foreman vs. Muhammad Ali in 1974. That fight was delayed six weeks when Foreman was cut by an elbow in sparring.
Like his fans and boxing watchers around the world, Fury’s disappointment at the news was palpable in a statement posted by the fight promoters on X (formerly Twitter).
I am absolutely devastated after preparing for this fight for so long and being in such magnificent condition – Tyson Fury
“I feel bad for everyone involved in this great event and will work diligently to reschedule the date when the eye has healed. I can only apologize to everyone affected, including my own team, Team Usyk, the fighters on the card, the partners and the fans, as well as our hosts and my friends in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”
STATEMENT OF FURY VS USYK pic.twitter.com/z7nf4Q3N70
– Queensberry Promotions (@Queensberry) February 2, 2024
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What is the new date for Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk?
At this time we do not have one. But initial reports have been clear in stating that the fight has been postponed, rather than cancelled.
When a new date is viable depends on the severity of Fury’s injury, although Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority (GEA) has given every indication that they are in big boxing and will make this happen.
GEA supremo Turki Alalsheikh has already announced plans for Dmitry Bivol to face Artur Beterbiev for the undisputed light heavyweight title in June, although there is no date set.
The same applies to the “five-on-five” card featuring fighters from Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom and Frank Warren’s Queensbury promotions.
Any of these could be pushed back on the schedule to accommodate Fury vs. Usyk and keep Alalsheikh’s plans going for the winner to face the winner of Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou on March 8.
At the Joshua vs. launch press conference. Ngannou, Alalsheikh revealed a special (and appropriately eye-catching) undisputed belt for the entire endeavor. In short, in the new reality of boxing driven by Saudi Arabia, this fight is not going away.
Will Usyk still fight on February 17?
When Fury made a much tougher job of Ngannou in their “Battle of the Baddest” showdown last October, a proposed December 23 meeting with Usyk was shelved in favor of the now-doomed February date. .
The GEA, along with the help of Hearn and Warren, put on “Judgment Day”, where Joshua defeated Otto Wallin and Deontay Wilder was defeated by Joseph Parker on a stacked, heavyweight-dominated card.
When major sporting events are organized as part of the Riyadh season, “the show must go on” is the guiding principle. Take for example the announced match between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi between Al Nassr and Inter Miami on February 1, also in Saudi Arabia. Ronaldo was injured and was ruled out, the match went ahead anyway and Messi appeared as a substitute for the final six minutes.
So it looks like there’s a good chance that IBF, WBA and WBO champion Usyk will get to work on February 17. The question is, against whom?
Parker is due to fight Zhilei Zhang on the undercard. Any of those would be compelling opponents for the big Ukrainian, but it’s also an excellent and marketable fight in its own right.
Reports from The Boxing News and Sports Illustrated suggest that undefeated Croatian Filip Hrgovic is ready to intervene.
Hrgovic dispatched Mark De Mori on the December 23 card. He was not due to fight on February 17, but his links to the Usyk fight on such short notice suggest that organizers retained him as a reserve opponent and ordered him to stay in shape.
The 31-year-old is also a mandatory for Usyk in the IBF, so he would easily tick that box with the sometimes overzealous sanctioning body as the prospect of an undisputed fight once again shifts a little further into the future. .
