Ricky Hatton is confident the cut that previously derailed Tyson Fury’s title fight against Oleksandr Usyk will not pose problems when the two collide this weekend.
WBC champion Fury and IBF, WBO and WBA king Usyk will finally come toe-to-toe in Saudi Arabia on Saturday night, three months after a gruesome cut ‘The Gypsy King’ suffered in sparring led to the fight being postponed.
Fury suffered the cut above his right eye two weeks out from the original fight date in February, requiring 11 stitches.
While having been given ample time for the injury to heal, British boxing legend Hatton believes it will be a clear and obvious target for Usyk when they step into the ring.
But the former two-weight world champion believes Fury will have had ‘the best people possible’ attending to the wound during his recovery and again on fight night should the worst happen.
‘It’s possible that Usyk may target the cut Tyson suffered, but it would have had enough time to heal,’ Hatton told Metro.co.uk courtesy of Lord Ping.
‘He would have had the best possible people looking at that injury to make sure that he’s recovering well. I’m not too concerned by it to be honest with you.
‘Usyk might be looking to open it up. He could get lucky if it splits open again in the fight, so I think he’ll stick to his gameplan and, if the cut opens up, then that is a bonus for him.’
Fury went through a similar situation in his 2019 clash with Otto Wallin. In that fight, the Briton was caught flush with a left hand above the same right eye, immediately opening a wide gash with blood flowing for the remainder of the fight.
As the cut was the result of a punch and not an accidental clash of heads, Wallin would have been declared the winner by technical knockout if the damage on Fury was deemed too severe to continue by the ringside doctor.
Instead, Fury made it to the final bell to secure a unanimous decision victory over the Swede.
Were Fury to be cut open again, Hatton is not convinced the fight would be stopped on one of the biggest stages in boxing history.
‘The Hitman’ himself suffered a number of grizzly cuts in his day, requiring plastic surgery in 2005 to repair facial damage he suffered in his win over Carlos Maussa in 2005.
Having learned to cope with such setbacks, Hatton believes Fury’s approach against Usyk will not be in any way affected by what happened in fight camp three months ago.
‘Worst case scenario and the cut opens and blood starts pouring out, I don’t think it would make much of a difference because so much is on the line,’ Hatton said.
‘I can’t see the fight getting stopped because of it – Tyson’s eyeball would have to be hanging out for that to happen. Could you imagine the reaction from the crowd if the fight gets stopped? We’ve been waiting far too long for this for that to happen.
‘I’m not concerned about the cut, I’m just delighted that the fight is finally happening.’
Asked whether the cut could play on Fury’s mind, Hatton continued: ‘I can only answer it from my perspective. It never bothered me to be honest with you.
‘I had a great coach named Mick Williamson who got me through so many scrapes back in the day. I used to get caught in the same area and had a cut that was always reopening. It’s just something that you have to cope with.
‘Tyson’s best attribute is his self-belief and his confidence. Even though he could have done without the cut, I don’t think he’s going to be sat on his settee worrying about it too much. If it does open, I think he’s experienced enough that he’ll be able to cope with it. ‘
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