The highly anticipated heavyweight title bout between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury has been postponed after Fury sustained a serious cut during a practice session.

The “Ring of Fire” fight, set to unify the WBC and WBO, WBA, and IBF titles, was scheduled for February 17 in Saudi Arabia but has been postponed.

According to Queensberry Promotions, Fury required urgent medical attention and stitching for the unexpected cut above his right eye. Usyk’s manager, Egis Klimas, suggested Fury’s reluctance to face Usyk and hinted at uncertainty regarding Usyk’s next steps.

Tyson Fury explains how he got his injury ahead of Usyk fight pic.twitter.com/wV0kfXUko8

— calfkicker (@calfkickercom) February 6, 2024

Reports indicate that the injury occurred during sparring in Riyadh, with Croatian heavyweight Agron Smakici being mentioned as the potential sparring partner responsible for the accidental elbow.

This setback comes after Fury’s previous injury in 2019, emphasizing the challenges faced by the heavyweight contender.

Despite the delay, Saudi Arabia has confirmed the fight will be rescheduled, offering ticket refunds in the meantime. The winner of the rescheduled match will vie for the coveted status of undisputed heavyweight champion, a title not seen since Lennox Lewis in 1999.