Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk is being pushed back.
The highly anticipated undisputed heavyweight title fight will happen in February, rather than December, according to a report Tuesday by ESPN. No specific February date was mentioned in the report, though Riyadh, Saudi Arabia is still expected to be the host city.
The Fury vs. Usyk plans were initially announced before Fury’s non-title fight against Francis Ngannou this past Saturday. The bout was originally expected for Dec. 23, However, Ngannou gave Fury a much tougher fight than expected, took him to a split decision and derailed plans for a quick return to the ring. Fury sustained two cuts in the fight against Ngannou and was also knocked down.
Fury, who holds the WBC heavyweight title, received permission from the WBC to fight Ngannou in a 10-round, non-title fight. The outspoken Englishman most recently defended his WBC title in December 2022 when he stopped Derek Chisora in Round 10. Fury won the WBC title from Deontay Wilder in 2020 and has defended it three times since.
Meanwhile, Usyk most recently fought in August, when he defended his WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO titles in a knockout win over Daniel Dubois. Prior to that, Usyk picked up two decision wins over English star Anthony Joshua.
Fury vs. Usyk is the biggest fight to make in heavyweight boxing, according to many pundits and fans. It’s been in the making for the last couple of years, as the two have established themselves as the best heavyweights today.
