Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk: "Same elbow strike he hit Francis with" - Fans react as footage emerges of exact moment Tyson Fury was cut during sparring

Upon hearing the disappointing news, fans have not been happy with the recent cancellation of Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk.

Fury, 35, and Usyk, 37, were initially scheduled to headline the 'Ring of Fire' boxing event on Feb. 17, which was supposed to be the first heavyweight title unification since Lennox Lewis defeated Evander Holyfield in 1999. However, due to Fury suffering an injury in training, the bout was called off earlier this week as the British champion reportedly had to get stitches for a cut above his eye.

Fury's team released a statement on the injury with the United Kingdom-based Queensberry Promotions.

Hours after the cancellation had hit mainstream news, video footage from the injury that caused a cut on 'The Gypsy King' was released, putting fans in a frenzy. From the given angle, the video appeared to show Fury's sparring partner landing an elbow on the champion to open the gash.

Upset, fans quickly began to criticize Fury and his team for their lack of diligent protocol, causing the fight to be postponed. One fan threw a slight at the British champion for his last fight with Francis Ngannou in a cryptic comment. He said:

Other fans criticized the video for its low quality, with some claiming the injury was staged due to the questionable sparring etiquette demonstrated for a fighter with a major fight approaching in two weeks.

Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk rescheduled for May 18

Though Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk will no longer take place on Feb. 17, both sides have already agreed upon a new date. Appearing on The MMA Hour on Feb. 3, Saudi promoter Turki Alashikh announced that the heavyweight title fight will commence on May 18.

Along with the fight announcement, Alashikh declared that any further delay in the matchup would result in a $10 million fine to the fighter who requests another postponement.

About the author

Jaren covers MMA and boxing for Sportskeeda. He has a total experience of over a year and also writes for FanSided MMA and BetSided.

Jaren is a Bachelor of Arts in Sports Media with high distinction from Butler University in 2023 and chose a field that interests him the most to begin his professional journey. He has over four years of experience practicing boxing and kickboxing and is also a two-stripe Brazilian jiu-jitsu white belt.

His all-time top-five list of MMA fighters includes Demetrious Johnson, Georges St-Pierre, Jon Jones, Anderson Silva, and Amanda Nunes.

Jaren's first memory of becoming a fan of the sport dates back to the UFC 195 event in January 2016, which was headlined by the Robbie Lawler vs. Carlos Condit title fight. While compiling pieces, he focuses on quality and fact-checking by going through multiple credible sources, such as UFC, Sherdog, and ESPN.

His other interests include training in jiu-jitsu and kickboxing, and watching basketball and American football.

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