The Gypsy King pretty much dragged out the “series”
Duel for the title of absolute world champion heavyweight title between WBA/WBO/IBF/IBO title holder Alexander Usik and WBC title holder Tyson Fury moved from February 17 to May 18. This is at least the sixth time the fight has been postponed, and almost a year and a half has passed since the Ukrainian challenged the Gypsy King to fight. We remember how many times and when the Usyk-Fury fight was postponed.
Usik first challenged Fury to a fight on August 20, 2022, after a rematch with Anthony Joshua. If the fight between the Ukrainian and the Gypsy King takes place on May 18, 2024, 637 days will pass between these dates. As of February 4, 2024, the parties have not been able to organize a battle for 533 days (almost a year and a half). However, the parties said it diplomatically: this is the fourth time Fury’s team has refused to fight with Usik.
The dates that were named
February 18, 2023. First date for potential fight. The parties were unable to agree on all the details, postponing the fight for two weeks.
March 4, 2023. Another fiasco. The parties were unable to determine the location of the fight and find reputable sponsors capable of satisfying Fury’s financial needs.
April 29, 2023. There is already a specific date and a seemingly clear location – London, Wembley Stadium. But Fury refused to negotiate, accusing Usik’s team, which made concessions to him on almost everything for the sake of the fight, of greed.
August 2023. Not an obvious date, but there was talk of a fight. Usyk signed a contract with a promotion company from Saudi Arabia in June, fueling rumors of a possible fight with Fury in the Middle East. The Briton continued to avoid the fight, and then completely signed a contract for a fight according to boxing rules with ex-UFC champion Francis Ngannou. Usyk was forced to defend his WBA title in a fight with Dubois.
December 23, 2023. The boxing evening on December 23 should be the largest in the history of boxing, and on the same day with Fury and Usyk Joshua, Wilder, Parker, Hrgovic would enter the ring. In principle, the last four fought, and the fight with Usik was again disrupted by Fury, saying that he needed time to recover from the injuries received in the fight with Ngannou.
February 17, 2024. It seemed that two weeks before the fight nothing could stop the Usyk-Fury fight. But everyone underestimated the Gypsy King. On February 2, Fury was injured during sparring and the fight with Usyk was postponed again.
May 18, 2024. It seems that the representatives of Saudi Arabia, who invested a lot of money in organizing and staging the fight, are already pretty fed up with Fury’s antics. No wonder Turki Al ash-Sheikh, who is involved in entertainment and sports in the Kingdom, said that if the Usyk-Fury fight breaks down again, the boxer through whose fault this happens will pay 10 million dollars. It seems that money is the best motivation for Fury right now. Or are we underestimating the British again?
Source: Sportarena
I am Ashley Ortiz and I am a professional journalist working for Athletistic. My specialty is in sports journalism, particularly boxing. I have written articles for some of the most renowned publications on the subject, and my work has been featured across both print and digital media platforms.
