Earlier this evening, it was revealed that Fury had sustained a nasty gash above his right eye following in a head clash while sparring, forcing a postponement of the bout with just two weeks notice.
Billed as ‘Ring of Fire’, Fury and Usyk had been preparing to do battle in Saudi Arabia on February 17 to crown the first undisputed heavyweight ruler since Lennox Lewis back in 1999.
It’s believed the undefeated 35-year-old Brit required 15 stitches on the grisly cut, seemingly a recurrence of the bloody injury he suffered during his victory over Otto Wallin in 2019.
According to veteran cutman Jorge Capetillo, renowned in the world of boxing and MMA, Fury would be wise to take a lengthy break away from the sport before making his return to the ring.
‘I would say it will take 90 days at least to recover from a cut in sparring,’ he told Betway.
‘Hopefully the fight can happen in the summer because it’s such unfortunate news.
‘The cut needs to heal really good and then Tyson can get back in action, back in training and get back in camp so it will be at least a few months for sure.
‘Accidents can happen in sparring, and this is what has happened with Tyson so he will need time to heal.
‘It will now reopen during the fight if they continued into the fight so now he needs time out to make sure it doesn’t open up with a first punch from Oleksandr Usyk.’
Capetillo speculated that the injury may have occurred as Fury stepped up the intensity of his sparring sessions with the title fight coming into sight.
‘Obviously during camp, sparring sessions when getting ready for a fight of this calibre means you bring the best sparring partners you can and work hard in sparring but sometimes it’s very tough and things like this can happen,’ he added.
‘We always try to prevent that and make sure the fighter has a healthy camp, but this is part of the game. This is a fight that requires the best of the best with the best sparring partners.
‘When there’s a cut happened by a punch, the opponent can get a TKO if the fight gets stopped so all of that stuff is important to have precaution.
‘I know how hard Tyson was working for this fight.
‘His work ethic, his discipline, he was working really hard like always and was so hungry for this fight. But these things happen, and cuts happen.’
In a brief statement, a ‘devastated’ Fury issued an apology and underlined that he would be doing everything in his power to get the fight rescheduled as soon as possible.
‘I am absolutely devastated after preparing for this fight for so long and being in such superb condition,’ he said.
‘I feel bad for everyone involved in this huge event and I will work diligently towards the rescheduled date once the eye has healed.
‘I can only apologise to everyone affected including my own team. Team Usyk, the undercard fighters, partners, and fans as well as our hosts and my friends in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.’
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