Tyson Fury sparked fears of a second postponement of his fight with Oleksandr Usyk after he was pictured leaving today’s eventful media day in Saudi Arabia on crutches.
Fury’s father, John, stole the headlines after he was filmed headbutting a member of Usyk’s entourage, with security personnel having to separate the two camps in ugly scenes at the hotel in Riyadh.
Usyk’s promoter, Alexander Krassyuk, subsequently called for John Fury to be booted off the Gypsy King’s team and demanded an apology as tempers flared at the start of fight week, five days out from what promises to be an explosive bout between the two heavyweights.
The fight had initially been due to take place in February but Fury sustained a nasty cut above his right eye during sparring and boxing fans have made to wait for the intriguing matchup – which could see the first undisputed heavyweight champion crowned in 25 years.
But with John Fury stealing much of limelight, many may have missed his son, Tyson, making his way out of the hotel while seemingly supporting his weight on his right leg with a crutch.
The concerning footage, captured by Mail Sport, quickly spread across social media, leaving some fans fearing the worst ahead of this weekend’s showdown in Saudi Arabia’s capital. But Sky Sports’ Ben Ransom has confirmed Fury – a renowned prankster – was simply ‘having a bit of fun’.
‘I can finish by dispelling a few rumours because I’ve seen some clips going around on social media of Tyson Fury on crutches as he left the hotel today,’ he explained.
‘In fact, when he came in to sit down and do an interview with Andy Scott, he had the same kind of thing.
‘But he’s not injured, don’t worry. We’re not having a repeat of that postponement with the cut. We saw this fight originally postponed from February.
‘It was just a joke, they were borrowed from his nutritionist Greg Marriott. It’s all fine, this is Tyson Fury having a bit of fun and, to be honest, it’s nice to see Tyson Fury having a bit of fun given the ugly scenes.’
In an interview with Seconds Out, Stanislav Stepchuk – the member of Usyk’s team who was headbutted by John Fury – said he would be ‘ready to fight’ should similar confrontation erupt over the coming days.
‘He just went crazy, only because of the name,’ Stepchuk told the YouTube channel.
‘If he gets mad only from shouting Usyk’s name, what will happen in five days?
‘If he thinks we’re disrespecting because we shout Usyk’s name maybe he is a little bit crazy. I was a little bit shocked, I didn’t see it coming. It wasn’t a rational movement.’
Asked whether he considered retaliating, Stepchuk responded: ‘Yes, for sure, but because of the age difference it would not be very fair.
‘The bigger the man is the louder he falls.
‘For his sake, he should not look for an actual fight because he could have a heart attack and finish in an ambulance.’
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