TYSON FURY will be “fearing the worst” going into his rescheduled clash with Oleksandr Usyk following his nasty eye cut.
The Gypsy King and the Ukrainian were finally set to clash in a MASSIVE fight to unify the heavyweight division on February 17 in Saudi Arabia.
X @QueensburyTyson Fury suffered a cut in sparring that caused his fight with Oleksandr Usyk to be rescheduled[/caption]
GettyGeorge Foreman suffered a similar injury before Rumble in the Jungle was delayed[/caption]
However, that eagerly-anticipated showdown has now been postponed after Fury suffered a freak cut in sparring just two weeks before the opening bell was due to ding.
The bout has now been rescheduled for May 18 with the British Gypsy King returning to his Morecambe home from Saudi to be with his family.
However, Sun Sport’s boxing expert Colin Hart believes that the nasty gash that scuppered the first scheduled showdown will be causing Fury more pain mentally than physically.
The veteran journalist, who has covered the sport for over 50 years, drew comparisons to George Foreman’s infamous Rumble in the Jungle defeat to Muhammad Ali back in 1974.
Foreman suffered a cut while training in Zaire on September 17 – just eight days before he was due to defend his title.
But he received 11 stitches after being caught by the elbow of his sparring partner which resulted in the fight being delayed by five weeks to October 30.
And Ali’s iconic rope-a-dope tactic resulted in him emerging triumphant over the powerhouse in one of the most famous bouts in history.
Hart said: “There’s no doubt the 36 day lay-off affected George physically and psychologically far more than Ali who sparred and trained normally while the sullen Foreman brooded reclusively waiting for his cut to heal.
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“Usyk must be purring like a cat because Fury – back home in Morecambe – is bound to be at a distinct disadvantage as the result of the three-month delay.
“As Foreman discovered, Tyson’s preparation will now be severely disrupted – a major problem being when he eventually starts serious sparring he will fear the cut being reopened.”
TYSON FURY VS OLEKSANDR USYK: ALL THE DETAILS YOU NEED AHEAD OF HUGE UNDISPUTED HEAVYWEIGHT BOUT