Tyson Fury mocks pre-fight fears Oleksandr Usyk fight will be canceled by limping on crutches

Tyson Fury left a media day for his Oleksandr Usyk on crutches in a pre-fight stunt.

The ‘Gypsy King’ has already been forced to delay his clash with Usyk once after suffering a nasty cut in sparring, but will almost certainly settle his battle for the undisputed titles on May 18 in Saudi Arabia.

2

Typically, fears have always simmered in the background that the fight could be canceled a second time, which could deprive both fighters of a chance to make history.

It almost seemed justified, as footage of the British heavyweight walking on a crutch and limping out of the pre-fight media day in Riyadh was released.

Crowds gathered around him as he left the building, while the champion’s father, John Fury, headbutted Usyk’s team member Stanislav Stepchuk in the lobby minutes later late.

Amidst all this pandemonium, it’s of course Fury being his normal trolling self and playing up to the fears surrounding an eleventh-hour cancellation.

Usyk’s team, including promoter Alex Krassyuk, have regularly hinted that they still doubt Fury will step into the ring.

But this is once again simply a publicity stunt by Fury, who will of course be fit and healthy to step into the ring in a career-defining outing.

Especially since a £10 million fine has been imposed if either champion pulls out of their bumper.

The mind games have already begun between the two heavyweights, and his latest comedic adventure will no doubt elicit a response from his rival.

2

What is an undisputed world champion?

In boxing, an undisputed world champion is someone who wins all four major world title belts in their division – WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO.

Fury currently owns the WBC while Usyk holds the WBA, IBF and WBO. Therefore, the winner will hold all four belts as the undisputed king.

The last man to hold all the belts in the division was Lennox Lewis when he defeated Evander Holyfield to add his WBA and IBF titles to the WBC belt before what is now known as the “four belt era” , the WBO being recognized from 2004. .

Fury dressed in a Batman costume for his November 2015 showdown with Wladimir Klitschko at the pre-fight press conference.

And it’s likely that both men will continue to entertain eager audiences, as they look to make history and become the first undisputed champion since Lennox Lewis in 1999.

Fury looks in menacing form despite injury fears, having made a remarkable transformation since battling to a narrow victory over Francis Ngannou in October 2023.

And the champion’s promoter Frank Warren has insisted he will be in the best shape of his career to bring the titles back to the UK.

He said during an interview on talkSPORT Fight Night: “He is in excellent shape, not only physically but mentally.

“I’m confident we’re going to get a vintage performance. He’s in very good form, I think.

“And even though he had that cut, it worked out well because he had back-to-back camps.

“Physically, I’ve never seen him look so good. The worry was going straight to training camp, was that he would peak too early.

“He worked very hard to look his best on May 18.

“I just feel like he’s going to put in a great performance and stop Usyk.”

Boxing WhatsApp Channel