TYSON Fury is once again set to fight for the undisputed heavyweight titles against Oleksandr Usyk after postponing the original date.
Fury suffered a nasty gash above his right eye in sparring earlier this month and saw his clash with Usyk on February 17 go up in smoke as a result.
Fury and Usyk went head-to-head at a press conference late last year
X @QueensburyTyson Fury suffered a cut that postponed the Usyk fight on February 17[/caption]
Usyk revealed he missed the birth of his daughter at the beginning of the year to focus on training camp for Fury, but now he has to refocus on a new date.
Fury holds the WBC title in boxing’s glamour division, while Usyk is in possession of the WBA, WBO, IBF and Ring Magazine straps.
The pair have been on a collision course to fight for 18 months, following Usyk’s rematch win over Anthony Joshua in August 2022.
Fury only just overcame boxing debutant and former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou last October, as he was knocked down in stunning fashion before going on to win the bout on points.
And Fury’s latest scuffle in sparring with heavyweight Agron Smakici, which saw an 11-stitch cut open up below his eyebrow, will be another confidence booster for Usyk.
The Ukrainian is looking become the first man in history to win undisputed titles at both cruiserweight and heavyweight – and he’s just one win away.
A victory for Fury, on the other hand, would set up an all-British mega-bout with Anthony Joshua, who takes on Ngannou himself on March 8.
When is Fury vs Usyk?
Fury vs Usyk will now take place on Saturday, May 18 after the original date of February 17 was postponed.
The Gyspy King has three months to recover from his injury, and if there are any more pull-outs this time around, a £7.9million fee will be paid to the opposing fighter.
The fight will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Expect main event ring-walks to get going from around 11pm BST, with the main card likely to start from 6pm BST.
What channel is it on and can it be live streamed?
Fury vs Usyk will be broadcast on THREE channels here in the UK.
You can watch the clash on TNT Sports Box Office, Sky Sports Box Office and on DAZN PPV.
A price for the event has yet to be confirmed.
You can stream the action from the TNT Sports Box Office app, Sky Sports Box Office app, or the DAZN app, all of which are available onto your mobile, tablet and Smart TV.
Fury vs Usyk full card
It has yet to be confirmed whether the original undercard will go ahead on the new date.
But this is likely to be the scheduled night of fights:
Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk – undisputed WBC, WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight titles
Joe Cordina vs Anthony Cacace – IBF super-featherweight title
Jai Opetaia vs Mairis Briedis – vacant IBF cruiserweight title
Moses Itauma vs Ilja Mezencev
Sergey Kovalev vs Robin Sirwan Safar
Bakhodir Jalolov vs TBA
Isaac Lowe vs Hasibullah Ahmadi
David Nyika vs TBA
ReutersFury and Usyk have been in negotiations to fight since December 2022[/caption]
What has been said?
“I just smiled,” Usyk said upon hearing of the postponement news.
“And said ‘OK – I will finish my training and I will do my work stretching my back’.
“Tyson. Hi, my brother. Don’t be afraid. I will not leave you alone.
“I’m still happy – things happen, it’s life,” he said.
“I’m very happy because I now go to Ukraine. I see my two daughters and my wife. I go to my church and pray. A little bit of rest and back to my camp.”
Fury said of the postponement: “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.”