Tyson Fury insists that the cut that caused the postponement of his eagerly awaited fight with Oleksandr Usyk has already healed and that he is ready to stop the Ukrainian when they finally meet in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on May 18.
Fury and Usyk were scheduled to contest the undisputed heavyweight championship on February 17, but Fury was forced to withdraw after suffering a gash over his right eye during training.
The only real footage to emerge was the brief, grainy clip of the accidental elbow which left him requiring 15 stitches above his right eye.
Before the shutters come down and Fury once again retreats behind closed doors to begin serious training for the rescheduled date of May 18, he drew back the curtain on his preparations.
He posted a video of himself shadow boxing. It appears as if the WBC heavyweight champion has remained in shape during his enforced lay-off. He certainly seemed relaxed.
“In the game, s**t happens,” he told The Stomping Ground. “Worse things have happened at sea. It won’t be the first and it won’t be the last time a fight has been cancelled with an injury. It is what it is. At first I was a little bit pissed off because it didn’t look like it was going to happen and we didn’t have a date. As soon as I got the date two days later it was fantastic. Everything’s good.”
Given the apparent severity of the cut, May 18 had seemed optimistic. Getting into the ring is one thing, but there were legitimate concerns about just how badly the cut would disrupt Fury’s sparring.
Usyk will be the most elusive opponent he has faced, and he will need to find his timing quickly if he is to prevent the Ukrainian from finding his rhythm. Quality sparring will therefore be crucial.
Fury may well be back in the gym working on his tactics and fitness but he won’t yet have laced up his head guard and protector or taken any punches.
With competitive sparring unlikely to start for another few weeks, “The Gypsy King” still has plenty of time to work with, but the unbeaten 35 year old is confident that the cut won’t cause him issues. In fact, it sounds like things are actually ahead of schedule.
“It’s already healed now, actually,” he said. “A cut takes about eight weeks to heal. I had 15 weeks from cut to fight date so plenty of time. I’m not worried about the cut. If the cut opens in the fight, f*** it. So what? I’ve had plenty of cuts before. It’s a fight.
“I think I’ll take him out in seven rounds.”