Fighter who cut Tyson Fury and postponed Oleksandr Usyk fight has blunt response
The fighter responsible for causing the cut that postponed Tyson Fury's fight with Oleksandr Usyk is not letting guilt get in the way of his career.
Fury was scheduled to fight Usyk on February 17 in Saudi Arabia for the undisputed world heavyweight title, however, it has since been postponed and now boxing's biggest heavyweight fight in years has a new date.
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WBC king Fury suffered a cut above his eye that required 15 stitches during a sparring session with boxer and MMA fighter Argon Smakici.
According to , Smakici insists it's just part and parcel of the career they are in. "It was a clear punch so I don't feel bad," he told them.
That's despite Fury's promoter, Frank Warren, stating it was the Croatian's elbow that caught his client - and footage of the incident appears to back that up.
Explaining what happened in the incident, Warren explained: “It happened [Friday morning] in sparring with a Croatian heavyweight who caught his eye with his elbow.
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Boxing promoter Frank Warren shocked at Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk being postponed due to a cut above Fury's eye, but insists the bout will still go ahead in the near future
“I can’t tell you how gutted everybody is and I obviously feel for Tyson, I feel for Usyk and I feel sorry for His Excellency Turki Alalshikh and everyone who works at the Riyadh Season because this is an event that we all worked hard to make happen and unfortunately it’s going to be postponed now.”
Asked if he believes the fight will still happen, Warren said: “Of course I do. It’s what everybody signed up for.
“It’s a huge fight – the biggest fight this century, there’s no doubt about that. It’s the fight that everybody wanted and because of the Riyadh Season, His Excellency and all his team, that’s why the fight is happening and nothing is going to impair it or stop it going on.
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“It’s unfortunate where we are but we will make sure that it will occur because it’s the fight that everybody wants to see."
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Fury, whose injury, left wife Paris Fury 'shaking', has three months to heal up and prepare for his biggest test yet.
Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority, who are staging the fight, says if either Fury or Usyk pull out then they will have to forfeit a sizeable chunk of cash.
“There will be $10m [£8m] (to be paid) if someone escapes from the fight (from their own money).”
The title fight will crown an undefeated heavyweight champion for the first time since Lennox Lewis in 1999.
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