Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk heading towards February next year
All the excitement for a grandstand finish to the 2023 fight calendar has since evaporated after Tyson Fury laboured to a close, some believe contentious, split decision victory over pro debutant Francis Ngannou on October 28 in Saudi Arabia.
Prior to that exhibition bout, which later turned into a sanctioned professional contest, the date of December 23 had been agreed for an undisputed showdown with unified world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, but according to Mike Coppinger via ESPN this plan has now been altered.
The Gypsy King suffered from facial cuts during the surprisingly competitive fight and was given a hard workout over the 30 minutes, which wasn't expected to last the distance seeing as 'The Predator' hails from an MMA background and had never fought in a boxing match before, but the Cameroonian shocked the world with his impressive performance and strong showing that saw the 35-year-old boxer floored in the third round.
Hall of Fame promoter, Frank Warren, was very quick to inform fight fans that the undisputed showdown would no longer take place this year, citing that his WBC World heavyweight champion will have to recuperate after a harder than expected 10 rounds to allow time to recover and for a full training camp to take place which now, disappointingly, takes the superfight into next year instead.
Frank Warren
"Tyson can't be going into a camp after a tough fight like that. That's eight weeks away. He needs at least a bit of time to get himself, his body, back into shape. Let it heal. Then get into a camp. It will be on early next year.
"'Riyadh season' finishes in March, so [Fury-Usyk] could take place up until March".
Fury vs Usyk
Possible dates include: February 3 / 10 / 17 / 24 or March 2.
If Fury needs more than an eight week camp then it's looking like the first weekend of February could be too soon, so these dates appear to be more likely: February 17 or 24.
However, seeing as Fury kicked off the Riyadh season that lasts from October to March, then it makes perfect sense for the British behemoth to close the season on March 2.
December 23
Usyk's promoter Alex Krassyuk has insisted Fury "cannot escape" an undisputed world title fight on December 23, despite the other team's request for a later date.
He said: "Everyone, including Usyk, did not give much chance to Ngannou. But the man has shocked the world.
"Fury underestimated his opponent. Arrogance, lack of discipline, and thirst for money lead to these kind of circumstances.
"But we have December 23 inked and Fury cannot escape that."
It's unlikely, however, that this date will be forced through by the WBC or any of the other governing bodies due to safety concerns. If the defending champion is willing to defend his belt but at a date that is more safe and suitable, it's highly unlikely a closer date that will not allow sufficient recovery time will be enforced. The WBC will have a duty to their champion to ensure the next fight with Usyk takes lace on a level playing field but also on grounds of safety too.
TV Channel
UK: TNT Sports Box Office
U.S: ESPN+
ROW: DAZN
Betting Odds (Betway Sports)
Fury: 4/7
Usyk: 17/10
Draw: 16/1
Fury and Usyk both at 100/1 to win by knockout in rounds 1 ro 2. Odds for a Fury KO win in round 10 are the lowest at 25/1.
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