Oleksandr Usyk reacts to Tyson Fury postponement by carrying on with his own sparring as he eyes replacement fight

3 months ago

Oleksandr Usyk carried on with his training on Friday after hearing that the Tyson Fury fight has been postponed.

Early in the evening, news broke that the undisputed heavyweight world title showdown will not take place on February 17 as planned because the Brit suffered a serious cut in sparring.

Usyk is continuing to prepare for February 17 and could now fight someone elseCredit: Alex Krassyuk – Instagram

The bout will now be delayed with the new date unknown at present.

Usyk’s camp have said that they’ve been left with the impression it could be ‘several months’ before Fury is ready to reschedule.

Therefore, the Ukrainian still wants to go ahead with a different bout on February 17 and, according to multiple reports, IBF mandatory challenger Filip Hrgovic is being discussed as a replacement opponent.

Shortly after the news broke on Friday, Usyk’s promoter Alex Krassyuk posted an image on social media showing the champion carrying on with his sparring as normal.

While the rest of the boxing world reacted with devastation to the postponement, Krassyuk simply captioned his post: “Usyk right now.”

A statement from Fury said: “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.”

The cut that has caused the fight to be postponedCredit: Queensberry

While Fury’s promoter Frank Warren told talkSPORT that the fight will definitely be rearranged, Usyk’s camp are less-than impressed at the news of the postponement.

The Ukrainian’s manager Egis Klimas lashed out at Fury, labelling him a ‘f***ing coward’.

Footage emerges appearing to show the moment Tyson Fury was cut by an elbow in sparring, causing the Oleksandr Usyk fight to be postponed

Speaking to Ring TV, Klimas said: “Tyson Fury is a f***ing coward who will do anything not to face Usyk, and he asked his b**** to hit him with a frying pan in his brow.

“You can quote me word for word for that.”

Asked how Usyk responded to the postponement, Klimas added: “When the news was brought to Oleksandr, he just smiled.

“That is all he did. He is too mentally strong to break.

“I was waiting for this moment.”