WBC president wants major rule change for Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk fight
WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman has petitioned for a late rule change for Tyson Fury's showdown with Oleksandr Usyk.
The 'Gypsy King' will take on Usyk in a historic undisputed title clash on May 18 in Saudi Arabia.
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It is set to be a pivotal moment in both fighters' careers, as they look to become the first four-belt heavyweight world champion since Lennox Lewis in 1999.
The fight has already faced turmoil, with Fury being forced to withdraw from their original February date after suffering a nasty cut in sparring.
And there are also fears that a fight of this magnitude could face further anguish, if the fight is subject to a controversial decision on the judges scorecards.
Some huge fights have recently been subject to contentious decisions including Nick Ball's draw with Rey Vargas on the undercard of Anthony Joshua v Francis Ngannou.
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And WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman has formulated a plan to try and prevent any post-fight controversy.
“What we saw last week in Saudi Arabia [Ball v Vargas] was another example of how fragile officiating worldwide continues to be," Sulaiman told
“We saw one judge have it one way big and another judge having the other guy winning. Controversy like that in the Fury v Usyk fight will kill boxing."
Sulaiman went on to reveal that he was plotting submitting an 'emergency petition' to his fellow governing bodies, for six judges to score the contest.
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He suggested that it could help 'minimise the effect' of poor scoring, but needs the unanimous approval of all involved.
Two judges will sit on three sides of the ring, which will also cover all angles when viewing the action in different perspectives.
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He concluded: "Fights, especially those at this highest level, deserve this and so I’m putting forward this proposal now to all sanctioning bodies, promoters and fighters.
“It has to be something we all agree on."
Fury and Usyk will no doubt appreciate the opportunity at reaching a fair result, which could be boosted by the proposal.
But neither fighter has yet to respond to the petition, and they will need to approve any decision for it to go ahead.
One undisputed fight last year fell to a controversial decision after Josh Taylor was handed the winner over a rampant Jack Catterall in Glasgow in February 2022.
The governing bodies were unable to overturn the result, and Catterall was left bemoaning judges' scoring to this day.
A win for either fighter will be legacy-defining, and Fury could even finally secure his showdown with Anthony Joshua after several failed attempts.
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