Tyson Fury has suffered a serious cut in sparring and so his undisputed heavyweight world title fight with Oleksandr Usyk has been postponed.
The huge clash for all the belts was supposed to take place on February 17 in Saudi Arabia, but will now be delayed with the new date unknown at present.
Fury suffered a ‘freak cut’ which required stitches, hence why the fight cannot go ahead.
Usyk’s camp have said that they’ve been left with the impression it will be ‘several months’ before the Brit is ready to reschedule.
Therefore, the Ukrainian still wants to go ahead with a different bout on February 17.
According to multiple reports, IBF mandatory challenger Filip Hrgovic is being discussed as a possible late replacement opponent.
An official statement from Queensberry read: “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 February 17 in Saudi Arabia.”
A Queensberry spokesperson added: “Whilst this is still breaking news it is clearly a massive disappointment after the work that has been done by so many people to finally deliver this historic event to the world.
“Once the Doctors have appraised Tyson’s eye, we will have a better idea of the period of recovery needed.
“Once known we will work diligently with all the stakeholders and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to reschedule this fight as soon as possible and will of course keep everyone updated with developments.”
Fury said: “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 apologise 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.”
