The highly anticipated heavyweight unification fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, scheduled for February 18 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, has been postponed due to Fury suffering a severe cut above his right eye during a sparring session.
The injury, which required medical attention and stitching, puts on hold a bout that was set to unify the WBC title held by Fury and the IBF, WBO, and IBO titles held by Usyk.
Fury said he was devastated over the postponement on Twitter, apologising to all parties involved, including Team Usyk, undercard fighters, partners, fans, and hosts in Saudi Arabia.
The event’s delay also affects Kiwi fighter David Nyika, who was preparing for his ninth professional fight on the undercard.
Fury’s last fight was a controversial win against Francis Ngannou, after which he postponed a December bout with Usyk to recover from injuries. Queensberry Promotions has expressed disappointment but is committed to rescheduling the fight as soon as Fury’s recovery timeline is clear.