Tyson Fury 'could pull out' of his undisputed world title fight with Oleksandr Usyk, claims former welterweight champion – who says the Gypsy King may not want any more 'tough nights' in his career

Tyson Fury could sensationally withdraw from his upcoming undisputed fight against Oleksandr Usyk on February 17, a former world welterweight champion has claimed.

Fury will fight the feared Ukrainian fighter for all the marbles in Saudi Arabia next month, following negotiations dating back to last year.

The Gypsy King's last fight saw him pull off a scare against former UFC fighter Francis Ngannou in what was his first professional boxing fight – leading punters to believe Usyk has a good chance of beating him.

Fury was shockingly dropped in the third round of the match against Ngannou and there were questions about his condition. His own father John told Mail Sport he did not look well.

And having seen Fury sidestep Usyk last year before being upset by the powerful Cameroonian – who he defeated via split decision – there are claims he could choose to avoid Usyk too.

Fury will take on Usyk for all the marbles in Saudi Arabia on February 17

Former IBF and WBC champion Shawn Porter believes Fury can avoid another 'tough night'

“You look at a guy like Tyson Fury, a guy who has been on this circuit so many times,” said Shawn Porter – who was a two-time welterweight champion and held the IBF title from 2013 to 2014 and the WBC title from 2018. until 2019 – in conversation with ProBox TV.

“I think a fighter gets to a point where he sees the toughest night in front of him and thinks, 'Man, I've just had so many of those tough nights, I'm not going to have that tough night again.'

“What we know about Tyson Fury is that he's a showman, what we know about Tyson Fury is that he likes things to go his way or not.

“That's why he went after Francis Ngannou, because that's the kind of fights he's looking for.

“He's looking for things that will get him the money and the recognition and the nights he doesn't have to train hard for anymore.”

Fury was stunned by Francis Ngannou in October when he was knocked down in the third round before completing a narrow victory

Fury has also been tipped for a future fight against Anthony Joshua, who recently announced his own big showdown in Saudi Arabia against Ngannou.

The winner of that could face the winner of his fight with Usyk, although fans may have to wait a while longer if rematch clauses are triggered.

Usyk himself said he was incredibly confident of beating Fury, saying it was a matter of 'when', not 'if' he got the win.

“First of all, it's not 'if' I win, but 'when' I win,” Usyk said, as quoted by Air sports.

'When I go to sleep, I imagine I'm boxing, and then I raise my hand. I just believe I can win.”

During his opening press conference with Usyk last month, Fury hurled a series of insults at his rival, labeling him 'a rabbit' and 'a sausage', while also trying to intimidate him in their first clash.

Usyk is confident he will beat Fury when they fight in February

Usyk managed to keep his cool, which only seemed to inflame Fury even more.

Looking back on how things turned out, Usyk believes he already has a mental advantage over the 'Gypsy King'.

'I got into his head and instead of me he now thinks of a rabbit. Keep thinking, brother,” Usyk added.

'I've been listening to Eminem for years, his mother always called him a white rabbit. I don't know, I love this rapper.

'Tony Bellew once said I'm a beast in boxing, I said, 'Not really, I'm just a white rabbit.'