Tyson Fury's undisputed heavyweight clash with Oleksandr Usyk will be put back until early 2024 after a bruising and unconvincing win over Francis Ngannou on Saturday night.
Fury was expected to ease to victory against the MMA fighter who was making his professional boxing debut.
But the WBC champion, whose belt was not on the line for the encounter, was knocked to the canvas in the third round and only went on to win the fight in Riyadh courtesy of a split decision.
Fury had revealed prior to his bout against Ngannou that the fight with Usyk was scheduled for December 23, also in Saudi Arabia.
That date will now be shifted into next year with talks set to resume this week between the respective camps.
Promoter Frank Warren said: “Tyson was cut and it was a tough fight. He needs a fortnight off and that would only leave six weeks until he fights Usyk. That can’t happen.”
Fury’s meeting with Ngannou was the opening weekend of Riyadh Season, which runs until March. The only date stipulation from Saudi officials is that the big-money Fury-Usyk showdown takes place before then.
Fury has consistently argued that he is the best boxer in the heavyweight division but showed clear signs of fallibility in what should, in theory, have been a far more one-sided contest against Ngannou.
Critics had poured scorn over the eligibility of the fight, many seeing it as merely a fresh money-spinner for Fury.
But Warren hinted that Fury and Ngannou could yet fight again in the aftermath of next year’s Usyk bout.
“That’s massive now, isn’t it?” said Warren. “I said when people were talking about this as a crossover fight that we were not talking YouTubers here.
"He has a fighter’s mentality and real punching power. I thought it would be a short shootout but it turned into a good fight. He would beat a lot of the top 10.”
