Tyson Fury’s withdrawal from his unification bout with Oleksandr Usyk was ‘more than SUSPICIOUS’, claims the Ukrainian’s trainer… as he insists the the eye injury was ‘impossible’ to obtain in sparring
Oleksandr Usyk’s trainer has claimed Tyson Fury’s withdrawal from the pair’s undisputed title fight was ‘beyond suspicious’.
Usyk and Fury were due to face off in Saudi Arabia this weekend in the division’s first undisputed fight since 1999, but Fury withdrew two weeks ago after a severe training curtailment.
The undefeated star suffered a serious cut above his right eye during sparring, which was labeled a ‘freak cut’ by his promotional team. The wound required stitches, leading to the postponement of the Undisputed Heavyweight bout.
The bout has been rescheduled for May 18, with Fury needing 90 days to recover from the injury, according to the Gypsy King’s former cutman.
But one of his opponent’s trainers, Sergey Lapin, has questioned the legitimacy of the issue and suggested Fury ‘continues to run’ from Usyk.
WARNING – GRAPHIC CONTENT
Tyson Fury’s clash with Oleksandr Usyk has been postponed after he suffered a cut above his right eye during sparring
Fury (left) will no longer fight Oleksandr Usyk on February 17 after being cut from sparring
Sergey Lapin has suggested Fury’s withdrawal from the fight was ‘suspicious’ due to the nature of the injury. Source – Instagram (serge_lapin)
“There were rumors that Fury’s preparations weren’t going to plan and then promoter Alex Krassyuk called me to say Fury was going to cut,” he said. Fruity slot machines. ‘The circumstances are more than suspicious.
‘In this modern era, with all the sophisticated and protective headguards available to top fighters, as well as the large gloves used in sparring, it seems impossible to me that he could have sustained such an injury while sparring.
“My instinct is that something fishy happened, maybe because Fury wasn’t ready to fight. Maybe he got dropped heavily during sparring and they needed to buy themselves more time. But are we really surprised that Tyson Fury continues to run from Usyk? Are we really surprised that Fury found another way to avoid the fight? This is nothing new.’
Doubts were raised over Fury’s chances in the fight after he got past debutant Francis Ngannou in his last fight in October.
The world champion was dropped in the third round, with many fans thinking he lost the fight overall despite a split-decision victory.
The nature of the injury, Lapin claimed, points to one outcome this spring.
Fury struggled in his last fight, winning a narrow split-decision appeal against Francis Ngannou
“And let’s just say that he was indeed cut, through a headguard and large training gloves. Can you imagine what will happen to his head if he receives a bomb from the Usyk in a ten-ounce glove?’ he said. ‘If Fury finally dares to enter the ring on May 18, it will be a terrible dream for him, he has never boxed a boxer of this level in his life.
‘Ngannou has shown Fury for what he is: a fighter with too many miles under his belt, a fighter who has had too many wars, and a fighter who is now rapidly declining to the point where he has seriously suffered from sparring partners .’