TYSON FURY’S fight date against Oleksandr Usyk has reportedly been agreed for February 17 in Saudi Arabia.
It comes after rival Anthony Joshua stepped in on December 23 to battle Otto Wallin.
Fury and Usyk were initially set to fight on that date in a winner-takes-all world heavyweight unifier.
But ESPN claims it was put on ice after Fury almost suffered a shock defeat to UFC legend Francis Ngannou.
And the Gypsy King will instead take on Usyk on February 17, with the Saudis playing host again.
Fury had been hoping to crown 2023 with a show-stopping battle against Usyk on December 23.
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The pair have been exchanging verbals for months, leaving fans on the edge of their seats.
But Fury stunned supporters when he announced he would first be taking on MMA icon Ngannou in a money-spinning bout in the Middle East.
The boxer was expected to make light work of his opponent but was floored during an incredible bout before being handed a controversial win.
It’s reckoned Fury was not in the right condition to make a quick turnaround for such a huge fight.
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As a result, rival Joshua has filled the vacant December 23 date with a battle against former Fury opponent Wallin.
The event will also see Deontay Wilder, who played out an epic trilogy against the Gypsy King, take on Fury’s training partner Joseph Parker.
As for Fury and Usyk, they are now set to collide in Saudi Arabia on February 17.
The reported agreement comes after former middleweight champion George Groves suggested Fury could retire from boxing instead.
Groves said: “He might retire. It might be the last time we see him. It’s not a dig.
“It makes no sense that he has a life and death fight with a cage fighter, who has been boxing for weeks, and that he had to get up off of the floor to win.
“He clearly wasn’t prepared and maybe he’d done a bit of training, but he hadn’t done any real training, any competitive training, his mindset was not there.
“People have said time and time again that when people doubt Fury, that’s when he rises to the occasion and he has proven that in the past.
“But does he really want to do that now, at thirty-five-years-old with all the things that he has achieved?”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
