In a statement released on Saturday on the back of WBO President Paco Valcarcel confirming the mandatory fight was off, Duco pointed out Fury had an ailment preventing him from fighting.
A short time later, speaking to the New Zealand Herald, Higgins made it clear what his feelings were on the matter, which is a devastating blow to his fighter at just two weeks’ notice.
“Do I think Hughie is injured? No, I don’t. I think it’s make-believe,” Higgins told the Herald.
Higgins also labelled Team Fury ‘clowns’ when addressing the situation, which was originally reported to be a problem with the travel arrangements laid on by Duco for the challenger and his team.
Vowing to do all he can to make sure the event goes ahead on May 6, Higgins has already gained approval from the WBO to seek out a new challenger from the Top 15 ratings.
“We want to do the right thing by the paying public. We need to show them respect and we will.
“We as a company need to re-group and make different arrangements and we hope to do that by (the end of the weekend),” he said.
Fury are set to release their own statement imminently after Peter Fury told WBN he had hoped to reschedule the contest for a later date.
