BREAKING! Lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury pulls out of undisputed clash against Oleksandr Usyk after injury, as per Ukrainian rival’s corner

Tyson Fury is out of his heavyweight showdown, more definitively this time, due to injury.

BREAKING! Lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury pulls out of undisputed clash against Oleksandr Usyk after injury, as per Ukrainian rival’s corner

Tyson Fury suffers training injury and pulls out against Oleksandr Usyk (Source: Twitter/IMAGO)

Pro-boxing’s lineal heavyweight Tyson Fury is out of his undisputed showdown with Oleksandr Usyk. The Englishman’s WBC title gold, along with the WBA (Super), IBF/WBO/IBO, and ‘The Ring‘ heavyweight titles were at stake. With Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Entertainment (GEA) releasing a fight promo, the Feb, 17 affair had garnered much traction. But the fight is now in shambles with Fury pulling out.

Fury (34-0-1, 24 KO) had to pull out of the highly-anticipated heavyweight championship fight, Queensberry Promotions announced Friday. This was due to a cut incurred in training, above his eye. Sports Illustrated first reported the news. The official statement from the promotion hosting the event for the extended Riyadh Season read as follows (on X):

WBC Heavyweight Champion Tyson Fury has been forced to postpone his fight with unified Champion Oleksandr Usyk after sustaining a freak cut during a sparring session in Riyadh.  The cut, which opened above Fury’s right eye, required urgent medical attention and significant stitching, and will obviously require a period of recovery, scuppering any possibility of the fight with Usyk taking place on 17th February in Saudi Arabia.
The statement read
YouTube video

The fight, taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was to crown either Usyk (21-0, 14 KO) or him as the undisputed heavyweight champion. In the very first undisputed showdown to crown a champ in the four-belt era, previous undisputed champion, Lennox Lewis was to be present as a guest of honor. This was part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s efforts to promote combat sports endeavors, as part of Riyadh Season.

The showdown was to happen on April 29 at Wembley Stadium in London. Active negotiations pushed it as far as Dec. 23; Fury postponed it even further due to injuries received last October. But now, the fate of the matchup is indefinitely postponed.

Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk: The Fallout from the pullout

Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk is off indefinitely, for now. Fury had to pull out of the fight, suffering a cut in camp. Usyk’s manager Egis Klimas prompted the matter to Sports Illustrated.

A lot has transpired since Tyson Fury reportedly pulled out of his matchup
A lot has transpired since Tyson Fury reportedly pulled out of his matchup (Source: Twitter/dazn.com)

Sports Illustrated also nudged in that seemingly, Usyk would still like to fight on Feb.17. However, the timeline for Fury returning to fighting status is unknown. IBF mandatory challenger Filip Hrgovic (17-0, 14 KOs) has expressed interest in replacing Fury.

The epic showdown was to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as an undisputed heavyweight clashdown, with Usyk holding the WBA, IBF, and WBO titles, and Fury holding the WBC title.

Currently, here’s what Fury has to say on the matter:

I am absolutely devastated after preparing for this fight for so long and being in such superb condition...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.
Tyson Fury’s statement

Fury and Usyk have been in talks to face each other for the past couple of years. The path to the undisputed title showdown cleared out after Fury narrowly escaped PFL signing and Ex-UFC heavyweight Francis Ngannou this past October.

Consequently, here’s how the combat sports bubble, Usyk himself, and unseasoned peer Ngannou reacted to the matter –

Usyk’s promoter Alex Krassyuk had said Tyson went too far last time, contending the 70/30 split issue and pulling out last year. However, this current pullout holds more definitive gravity and is sure to rock the MMA world in the upcoming hours.

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