Finally, it happened—what everyone feared the most. After a nearly two-year wait, one of the era’s most significant and critical fights had kicked off towards closure. But barely two weeks short comes the devastating news that Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk won’t be fighting anymore, at least anytime soon.

Probably it must have arrived in hushed tones initially. But only one news story eventually clouded the boxing world by evening yesterday. The postponement of Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk’s ‘Ring of Fire’. Why? Reportedly, a nasty cut right above his right eye forced Tyson Fury and his team to consider the dreaded option. Per the initial reports, the WBC champion received the injury during one of the sparring sessions. After the initial confusion, some clarity appears with the availability of a few sparring clips.

A Cut Across ‘The Ring of Fire’

Seconds Out shared a clip of the sparring session when the reported incident supposedly took place. It requires attention. Details, at varying degrees, should be available at hand across social media and outlets. However, the report here follows the footage accessible at hand.

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The one-minute-long video goes in loops, presenting identical footage in both regular and slow-motion formats. First, it shows Tyson Fury and a sparring partner (whose identity remains unknown) clinching and moving. Soon, the former’s back faces the ropes. They freed themselves. Then, the heavyweight champion could be seen walking towards his corner. He shouts, “C’mon!” rubbing the right brow first with the left and then the right hand.

The second clip, in slow-mo format, makes it a bit clearer. Both Fury and his sparring partner are exchanging shots. Over a semi-clinch, as soon as he delivered an uppercut to the opponent’s body, Tyson Fury’s exposed right side (head) picked up a mean left elbow (it might appear like a left hook).

Subsequently, it becomes clear that it was the prequel to the first footage. The next sequences repeat what’s been shown so far, but a bit closer: the clinch, the uppercut from Fury, and the sparring partner’s left elbow, then clinching again and moving in the direction of the ropes.

It would be too early to draw any conclusions from a minute-long video. Probably the picture will become a bit more clear once the dust settles and a more detailed but uniform narrative is available to everyone.

Tyson Fury versus Oleksandr Usyk: An Official Statement

Understandably, the boxing world is going through a stream of discussion, opinions, and even conclusions as the big news has started to gradually dawn upon all of us. Frank Warren’s Queensbury Promotions, which takes care of Tyson Fury’s interests, has released an official statement.

It read, “WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury has been forced to postpone his fight with unified champion Oleksandr Usyk after sustaining a freak cut during a sparring session in Riyadh. The cut, which opening above Fury’s right eye, required urgent medical attention and significant stitching, and will obviously require a period of recovery, scuppering any possibility of the fight with Usyk taking place on 17th February in Saudi Arabia.”

At the end of the day, it’s a big loss for fans and boxing. They will be starved of what could have been a historical blockbuster on the lines of ‘The Fight of the Century’, the ‘Rumble in the Jungle, or even the 2015 Manny Pacquiao versus Floyd Mayweather Jr. The wait for the undisputed king of the heavyweight division will continue.

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What’s your take on the sudden postponement of the Fury-Usyk fight? Please share your views with us in the comments below.

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