Oleksandr Usyk is set to be forced into fighting heavyweight rival Filip Hrgovic as the IBF circles the Ukrainian with potential threats to take away the title.
Hrgovic was ordered to fight for the interim championships in February before Andy Ruiz Jr. negated on talks. The Croatian was then promised a shot at the winner of Tyson Fury vs Usyk.
When Fury pulled out with a cut, the IBF automatically activated its mandatory push, which required Usyk to face Hrgovic as soon as possible. The Fury date of February 17 may come too soon as Saudi Arabian investors have already begun the refund process for the Pay Per View event.
The rescheduling comes after Fury took an elbow in sparring. He subsequently offered his fans the Usyk fight further down the line.
Undisputed heavyweight fight delayed
“I am absolutely devastated after preparing for this fight for so long and being in such superb condition,” Fury said. “I feel bad for everyone involved in this huge event.
“But I will work diligently towards the rescheduled date once the eye has healed. I can only apologize to everyone affected, including my team and Team Usyk. Also, the undercard fighters, partners, fans, our hosts, and my friends in Saudi Arabia.”
The knock-on effect of that unfortunate incident sees Usyk having to defend against Hrgovic or give up the red belt.
Usyk’s manager, Egis Klimas, was livid. Usyk’s promoter, Alexander Krassyuk, believes Fury should be stripped of his WBC title as the whole debacle happened during his training camp.
Klimas told Ring Magazine: “Fury is a coward who will do anything not to face Usyk. He asked his b**** to hit him with a frying pan in his brow. You can quote me word for word for that.”
Krassyuk quoted an old Fury tweet about the time David Haye canceled their scheduled fight over a cut.
“Let me read you something. The cut is genuine. Correct, you can’t box with the cut. Correct has to be canceled. That’s why he’s cut, so he can pull out.
“This is the quote of Tyson Fury back in 2013 when his fight with David Haye was canceled for the same reason.”
Fury vs Haye
Former Fury rival Haye also commented on Fury’s decision to postpone as many fans labeled the fight collapse ‘karma.’
“Fury suffers a cut a couple of weeks before the fight. I know that pain all so well – in 2013, when I was scheduled to fight Tyson Fury, I suffered a cut. And oh, did I not hear the end of it from him.
“I actually remember thinking at the time, ‘I hope one day before one of his big fights he has to suffer this. He’s been that much of a d*** about it,’ and here we are. But I don’t feel that good about it at all.”
Fury will likely get the full backing of WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman after leaked footage of the cut happening somehow made it onto the internet within minutes of the announcement.
Even a stint as ‘Champion in Recess’ seems to be a long shot as Sulaiman keeps his fingers crossed that the undisputed clash will eventually happen.
Phil Jay is an experienced boxing news writer and has been the Editor of World Boxing News since 2010.
