Boxing

TYSON FURY could only have 17 days to prepare for the rearranged fight with Oleksandr Usyk.The heavyweight undisputed fight between the two has been pushed back to May 18 following Fury’s horror injury in sparring.
Tyson Fury will fight Oleksandr Usyk on May 18Credit: Getty
The February date was pushed back due to Fury suffering a cut in trainingCredit: X @Queensbury
Jorge Capetillo thinks Fury’s injury will take 90 days to healCredit: Getty Images – Getty
The boxers had been set to fight on February 17 but it was called off following the injury.
However, the new date could leave Fury with less than three weeks to get fully prepared.
This is according to Fury’s former cutman Jorge Capetillo.
He was in Fury’s corner for the fight against Otto Wallin when he suffered a cut that needed 47 stitches.
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He believes that the cut Fury suffered will take 90 days to heal.
That period would leave the Gyspy King having to heal until May 1 when it is completely better.
Capetillo told Betway: “I would say it will take 90 days at least to recover from a cut in sparring.
“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.
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Will Tyson Fury really be ready for Usyk on May 18?
TYSON FURY and Oleksandr Usyk will now meet on May 18 after their undisputed fight was rescheduled following the Gypsy King’s horror cut in training.
It could mean Fury has just 17 DAYS to fully prepare for the mouthwatering clash.
Here, SunSport boxing expert Wally Downes Jr reveals whether the Brit will be fully prepared for the task at hand…
Fury insists he only needed 11 stitches on the gash over his right eye, promoter Frank Warren had earlier said 14, and it did look to be healing nicely when he appeared online to debate Usyk on Saturday evening.
Whichever it is, it makes this new scratch sound like a paper cut compared to the axe wound he suffered against Otto Wallin in 2019.
Doctors will try to ban Fury from any physical activity while the cut heals and then prescribe a very slow return to training and only when it is completely repaired will he be advised to spar.
However, trying to tell the 35-year-old Gypsy King what he can and cannot do might be a tall order for the little doctor charged with the task of policing the 6ft 9ins 20st maverick.
The maths suggests he might only have 17 days of sparring to prepare for the super-talented southpaw, who grabbed gold at London 2012 and became undisputed cruiserweight king.
And, while Fury is supposedly resting up and recovering from this latest set-back, Usyk will still be training his mind and body, doing practice rounds with giants and growing in confidence.
While Fury is sidelined, he will undoubtedly gain weight. He was as big as 22st just eight weeks out from his October scare against Francis Ngannou, so he still has not tamed his appetite.
And Fury fans will definitely worry that an enforced break, another stumbling block and another scar target for Usyk to aim his punches at, will all play into the 37-year-old Ukraine icon’s favour on May 18.

“Accidents can happen in sparring, and this is what has happened with Tyson so he will need time to heal.”
Fury will of course be able to train but it may limit his ability to spar ahead of the bout with Usyk.
The new date for the fight was announced on a YouTube broadcast.
Fury stormed out of the livestream after sending an X-rated warning to Usyk’s manager Egis Klimas. More

TYSON FURY stormed out of a YouTube interview after warning Oleksandr Uyk’s manager about “calling his wife Paris a bitch”.The Gypsy King was speaking to Ariel Helwani after withdrawing from his clash against Usyk due to a cut above his eye sustained in a sparring session.
Tyson Fury and Egis Kilmas clashed in a heated interviewCredit: YouTube @MMAFightingonSBN

Fury stormed out after the spat
May 18 is the new date set for the fightCredit: YouTube @MMAFightingonSBN

Fury sustained a cut over his eye in sparringCredit: X @Queensbury
He was joined by Saudi boxing supremo Turki Alalshikh, while Usyk and manager Egis Klimas joined the chat remotely.
The exclusive stream saw a new date of May 18 set for the highly-anticipated heavyweight bout.
It also saw an angry Fury react after Uysk’s manager Egis Klimas called him a “coward” for dodging the original February 17 agreement.
Klimas said after Friday’s cancellation: “Tyson Fury is a f*****g coward who will do anything not to face Usyk.
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“And he asked his bitch to hit him with a frying pan in his brow. You can quote me word for word for that.
“When the news was brought to Oleksandr, he just smiled. That is all he did. He is too mentally strong to break. I was waiting for this moment.”
Fury brought up the remarks in the interview as he shouted: “Never call me a coward again.
“I have had 35 professional fights in my life, I have been boxing 18 years, I’ve climbed off the canvas ten times against the biggest punchers in history to win.
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“Never a coward, never backed down from any man in my life.
“If anyone calls my wife a b****, I’ll take their f****ing teeth out.”
Kilmas was mocking Fury by pointing at the camera while he was ranting.
He then bluntly responded: “I didn’t call your wife a b****.”
Fury then replied: “Well, I’ll apologise for that then because I thought you were talking about my wife – but never call me a coward.
“How can you call me a coward, you have never boxed in your life.”
Kilmas hit back: “May 18 you are going to be finito.”
Fury didn’t stop there, adding: “You are all going to be working for me, you ugly little b*****d.”
He then jumped up and walked off camera as Saudi chief Alalshikh followed him out.
Will Tyson Fury really be ready for Usyk on May 18?
TYSON FURY and Oleksandr Usyk will now meet on May 18 after their undisputed fight was rescheduled following the Gypsy King’s horror cut in training.
It could mean Fury has just 17 DAYS to fully prepare for the mouthwatering clash.
Here, SunSport boxing expert Wally Downes Jr reveals whether the Brit will be fully prepared for the task at hand…
Fury insists he only needed 11 stitches on the gash over his right eye, promoter Frank Warren had earlier said 14, and it did look to be healing nicely when he appeared online to debate Usyk on Saturday evening.
Whichever it is, it makes this new scratch sound like a paper cut compared to the axe wound he suffered against Otto Wallin in 2019.
Doctors will try to ban Fury from any physical activity while the cut heals and then prescribe a very slow return to training and only when it is completely repaired will he be advised to spar.
However, trying to tell the 35-year-old Gypsy King what he can and cannot do might be a tall order for the little doctor charged with the task of policing the 6ft 9ins 20st maverick.
The maths suggests he might only have 17 days of sparring to prepare for the super-talented southpaw, who grabbed gold at London 2012 and became undisputed cruiserweight king.
And, while Fury is supposedly resting up and recovering from this latest set-back, Usyk will still be training his mind and body, doing practice rounds with giants and growing in confidence.
While Fury is sidelined, he will undoubtedly gain weight. He was as big as 22st just eight weeks out from his October scare against Francis Ngannou, so he still has not tamed his appetite.
And Fury fans will definitely worry that an enforced break, another stumbling block and another scar target for Usyk to aim his punches at, will all play into the 37-year-old Ukraine icon’s favour on May 18.

Helwani then asked Kilmas if he regrets calling Fury a “coward” and he replied: “I still feel the same.”
Fury, 35, suffered the injury on Friday and admitted that he was “devastated”, while insisting he was in “superb condition”.
He was caught by an elbow during his sparring session and needed 11 stitches.
The new date for the fight is May 18, almost exactly three months after the original bout was set to happen.
He will have have only 17 days to prepare, according to Fury’s former cutman Jorge Capetillo.
Alalshikh confirmed the news and a staggering wager between the duo, saying: “I have delayed it for May 18, I guarantee for both of the fighters £10million if someone escapes from the fight.
“We will make the people around the world know if someone is scared.”
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He also made it clear that any payment will come from the fighter’s bank accounts – not from the Saudis.
There are four heavyweight titles on the line and the winner the first undisputed heavyweight champion in 25 years.
Fury with his wife ParisCredit: Instagram/@parisfury1 More

A NEW date for Tyson Fury’s heavyweight showdown against Oleksandr Usyk has been confirmed.The fight was meant to take place on February 17 in Saudi Arabia but was called off after Fury suffered a horror cut in sparring on Friday.
Tyson Fury’s clash with Oleksandr Usyk has been given a new dateCredit: EPA
The heavyweight stars were supposed to fight on February 17Credit: EPA
The fight was pushed back after Fury suffered a cut in sparringCredit: X @Queensbury
The new date will be May 18Credit: YOUTUBE @MMAFightingonSBN
Usyk and Fury have both agreed to the dateCredit: YOUTUBE @MMAFightingonSBN
Fury, 35, admitted that he was “devasted” as well as insisting he was in “superb condition”.
He was caught by an elbow during his sparring session and needed stitche, with Usyk’s camp expecting him to be out for “several months”.
Anthony Joshua offered to step in and bring his fight with Francis Ngannou forward to fill the slot.
But a new date for MAY 18 has now been announce, three months after the original bout was set to happen.
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Saudi boxing supremo Turki Alalshikh confirmed the new date for the fight during an appearance alongside Fury on a YouTube broadcast, which saw Oleksandr Usyk and his manager Egis Klimas join remotely.
He said: “I have delayed it for May 18, I guarantee for both of the fighters £10million if someone escapes from the fight.
“We will make the people around the world know if someone is scared.”
He also revealed that any £10million punishment payment will come from the fighter’s pocket – not from the Saudis.
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Fans flocked to social media to react to the news.
One posted: “Good! Let’s hope Fury shows up!”
A second commented: “Let’s gooooo!”
A third said: “Sooner than I expected.”
Alalshikh also insisted that Fury wanted to still fight this month but he would not let him as he did not want it to become a “circus”.
He added: “Tyson doesn’t want me to tell this secret.
“He wanted to fight on the 17th with the cut but I didn’t let him it would be a circus not a fight.
“We have a deadline with IBF and I don’t want a headache with them.”
Fury insisted that he was in fantastic shape before the cut and was confident of knocking Usyk out.
Will Tyson Fury really be ready for Usyk on May 18?
TYSON FURY and Oleksandr Usyk will now meet on May 18 after their undisputed fight was rescheduled following the Gypsy King’s horror cut in training.
It could mean Fury has just 17 DAYS to fully prepare for the mouthwatering clash.
Here, SunSport boxing expert Wally Downes Jr reveals whether the Brit will be fully prepared for the task at hand…
Fury insists he only needed 11 stitches on the gash over his right eye, promoter Frank Warren had earlier said 14, and it did look to be healing nicely when he appeared online to debate Usyk on Saturday evening.
Whichever it is, it makes this new scratch sound like a paper cut compared to the axe wound he suffered against Otto Wallin in 2019.
Doctors will try to ban Fury from any physical activity while the cut heals and then prescribe a very slow return to training and only when it is completely repaired will he be advised to spar.
However, trying to tell the 35-year-old Gypsy King what he can and cannot do might be a tall order for the little doctor charged with the task of policing the 6ft 9ins 20st maverick.
The maths suggests he might only have 17 days of sparring to prepare for the super-talented southpaw, who grabbed gold at London 2012 and became undisputed cruiserweight king.
And, while Fury is supposedly resting up and recovering from this latest set-back, Usyk will still be training his mind and body, doing practice rounds with giants and growing in confidence.
While Fury is sidelined, he will undoubtedly gain weight. He was as big as 22st just eight weeks out from his October scare against Francis Ngannou, so he still has not tamed his appetite.
And Fury fans will definitely worry that an enforced break, another stumbling block and another scar target for Usyk to aim his punches at, will all play into the 37-year-old Ukraine icon’s favour on May 18.

He said of the cancellation: “This is not a blessing in disguise, but I take God’s will as it comes.
“I was 100 per cent confident I was going to knock Usyk out. I was 100 per cent ready.
“Why would I not want to fight for the biggest payday of my life?”
The broadcast came to an abrupt end as Fury appeared to storm out and his camera went black.
Fury had brought up comments from Uysk’s manager Klimas who claimed he was a “coward”. Fury also believed that he called his wife Paris a “b****” as he shouted: “Never call me a coward again.
“I have had 35 professional fights in my life, I have been boxing 18 years, I’ve climbed off the canvas ten times against the biggest punchers in history to win.
“Never a coward, never backed down from any man in my life.

“If anyone calls my wife a b****, I’ll take their f****ing teeth out.”
Kilmas was mocking Fury by pointing at the camera while he was ranting.
He then bluntly responded: “I didn’t call your wife a b****.”
Fury then replied: “Well, I’ll apologise for that then because I thought you were talking about my wife – but never call me a coward.
“How can you call me a coward, you have never boxed in your life.”
The highly anticipated £100m Fight of the Century will see the unification of the boxing belts.
The Gyspy King and the Ukranian were originally supposed to battle in a Riyadh Rumble on December 23.
However, that fight was pulled after Fury’s lacklustre display in his split-decision victory against former UFC champion Ngannou last October.
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The fight is expected to be shown in the UK on three channels as Sky Sports, TNT Sports and DAZN have all purchased broadcasting rights.
The new date could leave Fury with only 17 days to fully train as his former cutman Jorge Capetillo thinks it will take 90 days for his injury to fully heal. More

ANTHONY JOSHUA is ready and willing to step in and save Tyson Fury’s skin again.The 35-year-old WBC heavyweight champion of the world has pulled out of the February 17 undisputed decider with WBA, IBF and WBO boss Oleksandr Usyk after suffering a cut in sparring.
Tyson Fury’s undisputed title fight with Oleksandr Usyk fell through this weekCredit: EPA
The fight was pushed back after Fury suffered a horror cut in sparringCredit: QUEENSBERRY PROMOTIONS
Anthony Joshua is willing to bring forward his showdown with Francis Ngannou to save Fury’s baconCredit: Getty
The disastrous news comes just three months after the Gypsy King’s terrible performance in the narrow October points win over boxing debutant Francis Ngannou led to the four-belt showdown getting pushed back.
London 2012 legend AJ leapt in and battered Otto Wallin to keep that December 23 Saudi Arabia show on, accepting just five weeks’ notice.
And SunSport understands the fearless 34-year-old would happily bring forward his March 8 clash with Ngannou, to keep the date with boxing’s Middle Eastern money men.
A source inside AJ Boxing SunSport: “Anthony has saved the day before and there’s no doubt he would be willing to do it again.
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“After beating Wallin, AJ had a brief Christmas holiday in Dubai and was straight back in the gym preparing for Francis Ngannou.
“AJ has been working with Saudi Arabia since 2019 and they know how dependable and trustworthy he is to deliver, even on short notice.”
The show organisers have already been ordered to tear down all the temporary facilities erected in Riyadh, suggesting there will be no miraculous Plan-B, even with AJ’s help.
Fury jetted out to the desert on January 2 to begin his training camp but now needs expert surgery on the nasty gash and is likely to be out of action for around three months.
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We understand Australian cruiserweight star Jai Opetaia gave the 6ft 9in Morecambe giant nightmares before his spell as a sparring partner was cut dramatically short.
And that 19-year-old southpaw prospect Moses Itauma also enjoyed plenty of success when shaping up with the undefeated giant.
However, it was 20-2 unknown Agron Smakici who inflicted the gash above Fury’s right eye.
Worryingly for the 20st skilster, it’s the same eye he suffered a 47-stitch wound on, after getting whacked by Wallin in 2019 and will need time to heal.
The wounded Traveller said: “I am absolutely devastated after preparing for this fight for so long and being in such superb condition.
“I feel bad for everyone involved in this huge event and I will work diligently towards the rescheduled date once the eye has healed.
What does this mean for boxing?The saddest thing is this didn’t really come as a surprise to the British boxing media, writes SunSport’s boxing correspondent Wally Downes.
Rumours of Fury struggling in sparring with cruiserweight King Jai Opetaia and teenage sensation Moses Itauma were rife.
It seemed unlikely that the Gypsy King would risk upsetting Turki Alalshikh and the Saudi paymaster. 
But now the disaster has officially hit.
As recently as Friday afternoon, SunSport was being invited to Usyk’s secret European camp for a media day on February 6.
And there was the release of the mega-money promo that merged about eight Hollywood films and cost silly million pounds.
If it’s only a cut, there is the outside chance Fury can be back in a few weeks.
But we saw against Otto Wallin that he’s vulnerable to a bleed that needed months to recover.
When Fury was dropped and useless against Francis Ngannou in October – delaying the original undisputed decider – the money men behind the scenes created an incredible replacement with AJ vs Wallin.
And they could do something absolutely crazy to compensate now.

“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.”
Usyk has done his training camp in Spain and is pressing ahead with a media day on Tuesday.
Ukraine’s 37-year-old former undisputed cruiserweight ruler is expected to push on with a fight on February 17.
Filip Hrgovic is the IBF’s long-waiting mandatory challenger but his recent run of form has been underwhelming and there will be minimal mainstream interest in that meeting, especially after all the excitement around Fury vs Usyk.
Usyk’s team have seen the online sparring footage of the incident that supposedly caused the deep cut.
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But they are not 100 per cent convinced that it is legitimate, after spending 18 months chasing a fight with the unpredictable Brit, after Usyk dethroned AJ with back-to-back points wins.
The no-nonsense team even claim that they expected a Fury stunt to blow the landmark bout so they are more disappointed than surprised. More

THE sparring partner who cut Tyson Fury and delayed his undisputed showdown with Oleksandr Usyk reportedly “doesn’t feel bad about it”.The biggest heavyweight fight in over a quarter of a century was postponed this week after Fury suffered a horror cut in one of his final sparring sessions.
Tyson Fury’s historic showdown with Oleksandr Usyk was postponed this weekCredit: GETTY
A huge cut on the brow of Fury’s right eye forced the postponement of the fightCredit: QUEENSBERRY PROMOTIONS
Fury suffered the gaping wound in one of his final spars before the fight
Croatian heavyweight Agron Smakici inflicted the cut on Fury but doesn’t ‘feel bad’ about itCredit: GETTY
Fury, 35, had the scar tissue left from the nasty cut he received in his 2019 Las Vegas showdown with Swedish slugger Otto Wallin re-opened in the ill-fated spar.
Footage of the incident appeared to show that an accidental elbow was the cause of the costly cut, which required a whopping 15 stitches.
But the man responsible for delaying the first-ever undisputed heavyweight showdown in the four-belt era has zero remorse for his actions.
Multiple sources have confirmed to SunSport that Croatian heavyweight Agron Smakici was the sparring partner who cut Fury.
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But the 6’6 giant – who is also a mixed martial artist – insists that it was his left hand, not his left elbow, that cut the brow of Fury’s eye.
According to Boxing Talk, Smakici said of the incident: “It was a clear punch so I don’t feel bad.”
Smakici was a recent addition to Fury’s team of sparring partners, which initially included former IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia and undefeated Brit heavyweight Moses Itauma.
His joining the camp wasn’t a surprise given his experience sparring with top heavyweights, including Fury’s Brit rival Anthony Joshua.
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Argon Smakici is a two-time sparring partner of Tyson Fury’s Brit rival Anthony JoshuaCredit: Instagram @agron_smakici
Smakici helped AJ prepare for his recent clash with Otto Wallin and his rematch with UsykCredit: INSTAGRAM@AGRON_SMAKICI
The slick southpaw was recently drafted in by Team AJ to help the former two-time unified heavyweight champion prepare for his ‘Day of Reckoning’ clash with Wallin.
And he was also one of Joshua’s chief sparring partners for his rematch with Usyk in August 2022.
Smakici, 33, posted a series of snaps of himself and AJ to his Instagram ahead of the bout with the accompanying caption: “Helping AJ for next fight.”
WBC heavyweight champ Fury will need at least “90 days” to recover from the horror cut before he can resume full sparring.
His cutman told Jorge Capetillo told Betway: “I would say it will take 90 days at least to recover from a cut in sparring.
“Hopefully the fight can happen in the summer because it’s such unfortunate news.
What does this mean for boxing?The saddest thing is this didn’t really come as a surprise to the British boxing media, writes SunSport’s boxing correspondent Wally Downes.
Rumours of Fury struggling in sparring with cruiserweight King Jai Opetaia and teenage sensation Moses Itauma were rife.
It seemed unlikely that the Gypsy King would risk upsetting Turki Alalshikh and the Saudi paymaster. 
But now the disaster has officially hit.
As recently as Friday afternoon, SunSport was being invited to Usyk’s secret European camp for a media day on February 6.
And there was the release of the mega-money promo that merged about eight Hollywood films and cost silly million pounds.
If it’s only a cut, there is the outside chance Fury can be back in a few weeks.
But we saw against Otto Wallin that he’s vulnerable to a bleed that needed months to recover.
When Fury was dropped and useless against Francis Ngannou in October – delaying the original undisputed decider – the money men behind the scenes created an incredible replacement with AJ vs Wallin.
And they could do something absolutely crazy to compensate now.

“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.
“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.
“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.
Tyson Fury’s cutman says his horror wound will need at least ’90 days’ to healCredit: EPA
“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.”
Uysk, 37, has yet to break his silence on the postponement of the biggest fight of his career but is still training to fight on February 17.
But his manager has sensationally claimed Fury deliberately got injured so he could pull out of the fight.
Egis Klimas told Ring Magazine: “Fury is a f***ing coward who will do anything not to face Usyk.
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“And he asked his b***h to hit him with a frying pan in his brow.
“You can quote me word for word for that.” More