Tyson Fury has NEVER wanted to face Oleksandr Usyk and could still pull out of undisputed title clash, according to former world champion… as it’s believed the Gypsy King would prefer domestic dust-up with AJ
- George Groves believes Tyson Fury can still pull out of his fight with Usyk
- Fury and Usyk finally meet in the ring as part of the Riyadh Season on May 18
- Groves also believes Anthony Joshua could have beaten top player David Haye
George Groves believes Tyson Fury can still pull out of undisputed title fight with Oleksandr Usyk and claims the WBC won’t do anything about it.
Fury and Usyk will finally meet in the ring as part of Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh season to crown the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the four-belt era.
The winner of the highly anticipated fight will also unify the division for the first time since Lennox Lewis defeated Evander Holyfield in March 1999.
The highly anticipated fight between Fury and Usyk was scheduled to take place on February 17, but was postponed after Fury suffered an injury during camp.
The Gypsy King suffered a serious cut above his right eye during sparring, forcing the Saudi Arabian bout to be postponed until May 18.
However, Groves is concerned that Fury could still pull out of the fight. He claimed the postponement made him feel like the fight will never happen.
George Groves believes Tyson Fury could still pull out of undisputed title fight with Oleksandr Usyk and claims the WBC won’t do anything about it
Fury suffered a nasty laceration above his right eye, which has postponed his fight until May
Groves also hit out at the WBC, claiming they would not ‘pressure’ Fury or punish him for withdrawing from the fight.
However, Fury is adamant the fight will take place on May 18 and insists he is focused on beating the Ukrainian boxer.
When speaking with Betwaysaid the former world super-middleweight champion: “I said from the beginning, I’ll believe it when I see it.
‘I don’t think Fury ever fancied the Usyk fight. He’s talking about ten more fights, but if he loses to Usyk, how does that work?
“It’s a huge risk for him to fight Oleksandr Usyk. He’s probably really hoping Usyk can’t land a body shot.
“When the fight was postponed after the cut, I wasn’t surprised. It made me feel like this fight will never happen.
‘I would like to know if the media have paid for their flights and hotels in advance, or if they are waiting.
‘We almost saw Eddie Hearn say Joshua-Fury trumps Fury-Usyk after AJ beat Francis Ngannou in Saudi Arabia.
Fury – who required 15 stitches after being caught by Agron Smakici’s elbow in training – completed his conditioning in Saudi Arabia before returning to Britain
“I thought to myself, I bet Fury would rather have a bit of Joshua than Usyk because he’ll see that as an easier fight.
‘People are starting to think that AJ will beat Fury after both of their performances against Ngannou, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if Fury wants to set the record straight and fight Joshua next and leave Usyk out.
“The Saudis or the WBC aren’t going to pressure Fury to fight Usyk, so maybe he thinks he’ll go the Ngannou route again, or fight Joshua.
“That’s the fight everyone really wants to see. I don’t believe that if he withdraws, he will have to pay a $10 million fine.
“Usyk is probably thinking, ‘I don’t know if this guy is going to show up,’ because there’s still a chance Fury pulls out.”
Groves went on to speak about the quality of Anthony Joshua, claiming he could have defeated Prime Minister David Haye.
He said: ‘Joshua would have defeated David Haye. Haye has tremendous punching power, but look at their heavyweight resumes: they’re night and day.
“Joshua would win. Haye would want to keep double distance and try to strike. Joshua has been a bit static, but I would have to go with AJ.”