A NEW date for Tyson Fury’s heavyweight showdown against Oleksandr Usyk has been confirmed.
The fight was meant to take place on February 17 in Saudi Arabia but was called off after Fury suffered a horror cut in sparring.
EPATyson Fury’s clash with Oleksandr Usyk has been given a new date[/caption]
EPAThe heavyweight stars were supposed to fight on February 17[/caption]
The fight was pushed back after Fury suffered a cut in sparringX @Queensbury
YOUTUBE @MMAFightingonSBNThe new date will be May 18[/caption]
YOUTUBE @MMAFightingonSBNUsyk and Fury have both agreed to the date[/caption]
Fury, 35, suffered the injury on Friday and admitted that he was “devasted” as well as insisting he was in “superb condition”.
He was caught by an elbow during his sparring session and needed stitches with Usyk’s camp expecting him to be out for “several months”.
Anthony Joshua offered to step in and bring his fight with Francis Ngannou forward to fill the slot.
The new date for the fight is MAY 18, three months after the original bout was set to happen.
Turki Alalshikh confirmed the new date for the fight during an appearance alongside Fury on a YouTube broadcast.
He said: “I have delayed it for May 18, I guarantee for both of the fighters £10million if someone escapes from the fight.
“We will make the people around the world know if someone is scared.”
He also revealed that any £10million punishment payment will come from the fighter’s pocket – not from the Saudis.
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Fans reacted to the news that the fight was back on as they flocked to social media.
One posted: “Good! Let’s hope Fury shows up!”
A second commented: “Let’s gooooo!”
A third said: “Sooner than I expected.”
Alalshikh also insisted that Fury wanted to still fight this month but he would not let him as he did not want it to become a “circus”.
He added: “Tyson doesn’t want me to tell this secret.
“He wanted to fight on the 17th with the cut but I didn’t let him it would be a circus not a fight.
“We have a deadline with IBF and I don’t want a headache with them.”
The broadcast came to an abrupt end as Fury appeared to storm out and his camera went black.
The highly anticipated £100m Fight of the Century will see the unification of the boxing belts.
There are four heavyweight titles on the line and would produce the first undisputed heavyweight champion in 25 years.
Usyk’s manager, Egis Klimas, had hit out at Fury for his injury and called him a “f***ing coward”.
He ranted: “Fury is a f***ng coward who will do anything not to face Usyk.
“And he asked his b**** to hit him with a frying pan in his brow. You can quote me word for word for that.”
Fury’s promoter Frank Warren however felt sorry for the Morcombe-based fighter.
He told talkSPORT: “I feel for Tyson and I feel for Usyk as he has also been training for the fight.”
The Gyspy King and the Ukranian were originally supposed to battle in a Riyadh Rumble on December 23.
However, that fight was pulled after Fury’s lacklustre display in Fury’s split-decision victory against former UFC champion Ngannou last October.
The fight is expected to be shown in the UK on three channels as Sky Sports, TNT Sports and DAZN have all purchased broadcasting rights.
