Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk rescheduled for May 18

Just one day after Tyson Fury was ruled out of his February 17 clash with Oleksandr Usyk, the bout for the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world already has a rearranged fight date.

Fury and Usyk were due to face off during Riyadh Season on February 17, but a cut sustained by Fury over his right eye left him unable to fulfil that date, and the bout was promptly postponed.

At the time, a press release quoted a spokesman, saying, “Whilst this is still breaking news it is clearly a massive disappointment, after the work that has been done by so many people to finally deliver this historic event to the world.

“Once the doctors have appraised Tyson’s eye, we will have a better idea of the period of recovery needed. Once known we will work diligently with all the stakeholders and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to reschedule this fight as soon as possible and will of course keep everyone updated with developments.”

That move to rebook the fight happened earlier today, with the relevant parties moving swiftly to agree a new date, three months removed form the original fight day.

It means the pair will now face off in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on May 18. The rebooked fight was announced on a special episode of The MMA Hour.

On the show, Fury explained how the injury took place, saying, “It was yesterday morning sparring. I arranged to spar 12 rounds for four different guys. In Round 5, I got an elbow in the eye, a split eye.

“I’ve obviously been to the hospital and I had 11 stitches. They have the medical reports, they have everything. Have a look at the eye. There you go, right across the eye – lovely.

“Nothing much anybody can do about getting a cut in sparring. S**t happens. I’ve never had one before. First time for everything.”