Aurelia Butler

FRANK WARREN has blasted Tyson Fury’s “pathetic” critics and said experts “should know better.” Fury was forced out of his scheduled February 17 undisputed title decider in Saudi Arabia against Oleksandr Usyk due to injury.
Tyson Fury has blasted Tyson Fury’s ‘pathetic’ criticsCredit: Reuters
The cut he sustained in sparring just two weeks from the bout required 14 stitches and saw the fight postponed till May 18.
Astonishingly, Fury faced baseless accusations that he set the whole thing up with Usyk’s manager Egis Klimas branding him a “coward.”
But his Hall of Fame promoter Warren came out swinging in defence of the Gypsy King.
He said on talkSPORT: “This is the fella that went to Germany to fight [Klitschko] for the world title and beat him.
READ MORE IN BOXING
“This is the guy that went out [to America] to fight a guy that was undefeated in Deontay Wilder – six years reigning as heavyweight champion.
“The hardest punching heavyweight recorded and went out not once, but fought three times out there.
“Do me a favour, it’s pathetic, and professional fighters should know better.”
Carl Froch has been quick to blame Fury for the cut due to the headguard he was wearing.
Most read in Boxing
CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS
And American former world champion Timothy Bradley even insinuated the injury could have been staged.
Still Fury – who needed a controversial split-decision against ex-UFC champion Francis Ngannou in his last fight – has retained the backing of his promoter against Usyk.
Tyson Fury’s manager reckons there IS a ‘mole’ in Gypsy King’s camp after sparring ‘leaks’ ahead of Oleksandr Usyk fight
Warren said: “I do think that he will beat him, I think Tyson is the best heavyweight on the planet.
“His last fight against Ngannou, he wasn’t at his best, but he came through and won the fight.”
Tyson Fury with promoter Frank WarrenCredit: PA More

OLEKSANDR USYK has been backed to BEAT Tyson Fury by the man who so nearly did it himself. The unbeaten champions will square off in the heavyweight division’s first ever four-belt unification bout on May 18 in Saudi Arabia.
Tyson Fury was floored by Steve Cunningham in 2013Credit: Action Images – Reuters
But Usyk will not be the first ex-cruiserweight champion Fury has shared the ring with.
In 2013 in New York, in his American debut, the Gypsy King took on then-heavyweight newbie Steve Cunningham.
Cunningham famously floored Fury and drew up an early lead before being worn down and taken out in round seven.
Now the American is tipping Usyk to do what he couldn’t and become the first to defeat Fury.
READ MORE IN BOXING
Cunningham, 47, told iFL TV: “I think Usyk can beat Fury for two specific reasons. The first is Usyk’s ability, his skill-set, it’s unmatched,
“He’s got quirky movements; he’s awkward. He thinks different in there, he takes angles.
“He’s the highest level of boxing that we see right now. He can land shots on Fury that can cause considerable frustration for Fury.
“The second reason is his team, his management. He’s managed by Egis [Klimas]. They’re powerhouses in Europe and around the world.
Most read in Boxing
CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS
“Egis has a solid foundational career with moving fighters and protecting them.”
Fury has admitted in the past how Cunningham was the trickiest customer has came across in his career.
Inside Oleksandr Usyk’s training camp as boxer continues brutal regime despite Tyson Fury postponement
He told Joe Rogan in 2018: “Believe it or not, this is gonna sound strange – Cunningham was the hardest fight I ever did have in my whole career, amateur or professional.”
Fury used his superior size to gain an advantage on the smaller Cunningham, something Usyk will be aware of.
Cunningham added: “With Fury, we all know he uses some tactics that are borderline.
“I wouldn’t say illegal. He hasn’t been disqualified yet, but they’re borderline, and they gain him an advantage.

“Him being 6’9”, 260 lbs. All he does is take a couple of hits, block them, and lean on the guy throughout the fight
“He did it to me, he did it to Wilder. He did it to fighters that you want to wear down.
“Later on, your looking fresh because they’re drained because they’ve been carrying your 260-lb body around. So, you can do whatever you want to them
“I don’t think Egis and the team are going to allow that without Fury being penalised.
“If Fury can get past the management part, controlling the officiating, with the referee being in his ear, Fury can beat him if he can get past all of that.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
“But outside of that, I lean a little bit towards Usyk.”
Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are set to fight on May 18Credit: EPA More

BOXING’S most iconic cutman is ready to join Tyson Fury’s team to protect the horror cut that forced him out of fighting Oleksandr Usyk.And Jacob “Stitch” Duran – the best in the business – revealed the tiny tactic that will give Fury the edge in training for the rescheduled bout.
Jacob ‘Stitch’ Duran is boxing’s most legendary cutmanCredit: Getty – Contributor
Tyson Fury’s cut that postponed his fight with Oleksandr UsykCredit: QUEENSBERRY PROMOTIONS
The Gypsy King was due to face Usyk in Saudi Arabia on February 17 in the first four-belt heavyweight unification bout.
But a gash sustained in sparring just two weeks out from the historic undisputed decider forced Fury out until the postponed May 18 date.
Duran estimates it will be a little over three months until the cut is fully healed and advised him to invest in a new head guard in sparring.
He told SunSport: “The rule of thumb for cuts is 100 days, that type of thing. 
READ MORE IN BOXING
“But yes, he has plenty of time. From now and then he can work on so many techniques, so many different things without getting hit up here. 
“There’s a lot of things that he can do in preparation and the final three or four weeks of preparation, if he wants to go hard let him go hard. 
“I would recommend the headgear that has a bar, evidently what happened is the shot came upwards.” 
Fury was sparring with a Paffen head guard with cheek protectors at the time of the injury.
Most read in Boxing
CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS
But Duran insisted swapping it out for the larger version which has a bar across the face to guard the nose could be key to protecting the cut.
He said: “Yeah. It’s not that bad! It’s more just the timing was bad than anything else.” 
Legendary cutman Stitch Duran ready to join Tyson Fury’s camp to protect horror cut in rescheduled Tyson Fury fight
Fury famously suffered a catastrophic cut in his 2019 win over Otto Wallin but somehow battled on to win a points decision.
He needed 47 stitches as a result and also called on the experience and expertise of Duran for his following two bouts.
And now Duran is ready to re-join Fury’s camp in a bid to once again save the WBC champion’s skin.
He said: “That would be a great opportunity. But I’ve been in this game long enough that I’m just like a surfer, I just go with the waves. 
“If it happens, it would make sense from a business aspect of it because I know Bob Arum requested I work with him the first time I worked with him.  
“Does it make sense? Yeah, it makes sense from confidence more than anything else and technique.” 
Stitch Duran has worked with Fury in the past More

BOXING usually finds a way to shoot itself in the foot but humping itself in the backside is a new one!It could only be down to master-of-mischief Tyson Fury and his playground antics of gyrating into a sparring partner sparking the spicy exchange that led to the cut that forced the undisputed decider with Oleksandr Usyk fight to be postponed AGAIN.
Tyson Fury was due to throw down with Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday nightCredit: EPA
Their historic undisputed fight was postponed due to a huge cut above Fury’s right eyeCredit: QUEENSBERRY PROMOTIONS
Fury suffered the unfortunate wound in sparringCredit: X formerly Twitter / @MichaelBensonn
Croatian clubber Agron Smakici inflicted the fight-scuppering wound on FuryCredit: GETTY
First, there were 18 months of painful negotiations and rows over rematches and percentages, that collapsed a couple of plans.
Then the woeful October 23 display from the WBC king against boxing debutant Francis Ngannou caused the fight to be pushed back from December 23 to February 17.
And then we learned on Friday, February 2 that the undefeated 35-year-old Gypsy King had suffered a cut over his right eye in a sparring session with Agron Smakici, that needed 14 stitches and forced the bout to go back again to February 17.
Wild and far-fetched conspiracy theories about the cut surrounded the sport, doubters and critics even ridiculously suggested Fury had inflicted the wound on himself in a bid to avoid Ukraine’s 35-year-old WBA, IBF and WBO boss.
READ MORE IN BOXING
But SunSport can now reveal it was more of a You’ve Been Framed episode than a Soviet spy novel, that led to the cut that floored the first undisputed fight since 1999.
Smakici, the 33-year-old southpaw heavyweight regularly headhunted to mimic the fighting style of Usyk for the likes of Anthony Joshua, became unwittingly the most infamous man in boxing.
And he revealed that being on the receiving end of a playful romp from the 6ft 9in Morecambe showman was a shock he didn’t fancy, but that the subsequent cut was not the result of a revenge attack.
When asked if he could confirm the whisper that Fury had copied the move made infamous among boxing fans by Adrien Broner and Marcos Maidana in 2013, he told us: “I have watched the Broner and Maidana fight, I know what happened.
Most read in Boxing
FREE BETS – BEST BETTING OFFERS & NEW CUSTOMER BONUSES
“He tried to do the Broner to me and that was not OK with me.
“I came to help him and we didn’t really know each other.
New footage appears to show moment Tyson Fury was cut by an ELBOW causing Oleksandr Usyk fight to be scrapped
“I am not a young kid, I am 33 and he is 35, we are the same ages.
“Yes he is the champion but I could also become a champion and I can hit.
“But it was a joke and I didn’t take it seriously, I was not angry, because he was laughing, he is funny. He is a comedian.”
Smakici hopes he ended on great terms with Fury and has now planned to help his best pal Joseph Parker prepare for his March 8 shootout with another leftie giant in Zhilei Zhang.
But he has one personal opinion on why the cereal winner looked a bit stale in the unusually timed final sparring session of his Riyadh camp.
“I felt the spar was too early,” he said. “That’s just my opinion.
“We had been sparring in the evenings, around 8-9pm, to be ready for the fight. But suddenly we were sparring at 12o’clock and still having breakfast at 11am.
“The day before we had done hard sparring and the day before that, Wednesday, we had done strength training, conditioning and circuits. So there was a lot happening with our body and minds.
“It was early sparring, at late notice,  we were in the middle of breakfast when we had to get ready.
“But Fury was motivated, he said he wanted 12 rounds, he did three with Thomas Carty and then I came in.
“He made jokes like, ‘Let’s go, little sausage.’ But he was very motivated, dancing in the ring and using his reach a lot.
“I got in and used my style, it was physical, and we did some wrestling and good combinations.
“Then the cut happened because we were tired.
Agron Smakici reckons the cut was down to him and Tyson Fury being ‘tired’
Fury immediately knew his 2019 scar tissue had re-openedCredit: X formerly Twitter / @MichaelBensonn
Smakici believes their spar took place too early in the dayCredit: GETTY
“I threw the left hook but my head was also going forward because he was pulling it, it was a bit like dirty boxing.”
Boxing has a horrible habit of rewarding notoriety rather than quality.
Smakici could laud himself as the man who floored the first undisputed fight in 25 years or boast about his success with AJ.
But – after hundreds of rounds with Joshua and two weeks working with Fury – that is the absolute last thing he wants to do.
He explained: “In sparring you sometimes have a bad day, or you try something new and when you’re sparring you change and rotate your partners a lot.
“I might only do three rounds and then another guy does three and another does four, and Fury does all of them, it’s not equal or fair.
“So I would never say or think I got the better of Fury because he is doing all of the rounds and we’re getting lots more rest.
“Fury was very good in some spars and sometimes he was bad. But that is a training camp and that is sparring.
“I am sure in the fight you will see the real Fury. He has been a professional fighter for a long time and has done some of the biggest fights, he has proven himself.
“I have never said anything bad about him. He is a good person, he trains with his son and family, they are good people.
“Fury is just focussed on the fight and I think he will put on a spectacular performance.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
“The rest is just rumours, Tyson has a good chin, he can take a punch. He has shown that in his fights and I can say it because I can hit hard and he doesn’t blink.
“It was a special camp, just stepping in with Fury was special, because he is a legend for what he has done.”
Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will now throw down in Saudi Arabia on May 18 More

ANTHONY JOSHUA has been warned not to make the same mistake Tyson Fury made against Francis Ngannou.AJ will continue his career rebuild with a shock crossover clash with the former UFC heavyweight champion in Saudi Arabia next month.
Anthony Joshua throws down with former UFC champ Francis Ngannou next monthCredit: PA
Ngannou shocked the world last October by dropping Tyson Fury in their crossover clashCredit: GETTY
Fury’s cousin and trainer Andy Lee has warned AJ not to ‘underestimate’ the MMA mountainCredit: GETTY
Ngannou shocked the world last October with his display in his Riyadh rumble with Fury, whom he cut and dropped in his split decision defeat.
And Fury’s cousin and trainer Andy Lee has warned the Watford warrior not to overlook and “underestimate” the boxing novice in their desert dust-up.
The former WBO middleweight champion told Boxing Social: “People are going to be interested because Ngannou put on such a great performance against Tyson.
“It’s a great situation for Joshua because all of those unknowns that Tyson went up against have been dispelled now.
READ MORE IN BOXING
“The element of surprise in Ngannou is gone.
“You’ve got to give Ngannou credit, he was a lot more savvy and a lot better at boxing than anyone might’ve given him credit for [in the build-up to the Fury fight].
“He’s quite clever, he is very patient as well and you can see that he is strong.
“Don’t underestimate being 280lbs of solid muscle.
Most read in Boxing
FREE BETS – BEST BETTING OFFERS & NEW CUSTOMER BONUSES

ANTHONY JOSHUA VS FRANCIS NGANNOU: ALL THE DETAILS YOU NEED AHEAD OF HUGE CROSSOVER BOUT
“When you strip things back it is just two men and one of these guys is huge and is pure muscle.”
AJ, like the rest of the boxing world, was stunned to see Ngannou put Fury on his backside in his professional boxing debut.
Inside Anthony Joshua’s amazing car collection
And Watford warrior insists he’ll be minding his Ps and Qs against the MMA man mountain.
He said: “If Tyson underestimated Ngannou, I sure won’t. Francis has lost the element of surprise with me.
“We knew Francis had a reputation as the biggest puncher in the world but the surprise was how well he boxed.
“He was exceptional on the inside and made life very complicated for Tyson.
“So much so that I do belong to the opinion that he beat Fury.” More