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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Donald McRae

Tyson Fury v Oleksandr Usyk world title fight pushed back to early next year

Tyson Fury, left, and Oleksandr Usyk shake hands after the Briton’s controversial heavyweight victory in Riyadh over Francis Ngannou.
Tyson Fury, left, and Oleksandr Usyk shake hands after the Briton’s controversial heavyweight victory in Riyadh over Francis Ngannou. Photograph: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images

Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will fight for the undisputed world heavyweight championship in Saudi Arabia early next year, Frank Warren, Fury’s promoter, has confirmed.

The fight had been scheduled to take place on 23 December but Fury’s unexpectedly difficult bout with Francis Ngannou last weekend forced a postponement. There had been genuine concern that the IBF, one of the four main sanctioning bodies, would refuse to ratify the fight and insist that Usyk, as their champion, face the mandatory contender instead of Fury. But Warren said on Thursday that the IBF had agreed to the delay, on the proviso that it takes place no later than mid-March.

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