The undisputed heavyweight championship bout between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk has been postponed after Fury suffered a cut during sparring, promoters Queensbury Promotions said in a statement on Friday.
The bout, scheduled for Feb. 17 in Riyadh, was set to unify Fury’s WBC heavyweight championship with Usyk’s WBA, IBF, WBO, and IBO belts, crowning the first unified heavyweight boxing champion since 1999.
“I am devastated after preparing for this bout for so long and being in such superb condition. I feel bad for everyone involved,” Fury said in a statement.
“Once the doctors have appraised Tyson’s eye we will have a better idea of the period of recovery needed,” a spokesperson for Queensbury promotions said.
Fury, 35, won his WBC championship after knocking out Deontay Wilder in February 2020, while 37-year-old Usyk won his belts after outscoring Anthony Joshua in September 2021. Both boxers are undefeated in their professional careers.
“I will work diligently towards the rescheduled date once the eye has healed. I can only apologise to everyone affected,” Fury added.
