Frank Warren, promoter of WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, had this to say about last week's postponement and then rescheduling of the undisputed world championship bout between Fury and Oleksandr Usyk: "Boxing, as it occasionally tends to do, delivered us a low blow last week when news filtered through revealing that Tyson Fury had sustained a nasty gash above his eye during sparring. Such news bulletins are deflating for all concerned and, first and foremost, you feel for both fighters who have been away from their families for a prolonged period of time. Then there is everyone who has worked so hard in organising an event of this magnitude. However, none of the graft will go to waste and we already have a new date of May 18th to focus on."

 

Warren continued: "The harsh truth of the matter remains that boxing is, and has always been, an unavoidably accident-prone sport that you can never completely legislate for. We are going to see Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk for the crown of undisputed champion, although I sense this will actually come as a disappointment to some. The usual suspects were out in force peddling their drivel when news of the cut broke, as if it somehow justified their warped narratives. It will probably pain them when these two step into the ring for the biggest fight of the century. Unfortunately big fights are often subject to delays. Just look at a few recent encounters that have met with rave reviews. Artur Beterbiev against Callum Smith, Joshua Buatsi against Dan Azeez – both of these fights were supposed to take place last year. Also our main event on Saturday between Hamzah and Liam was originally pencilled in for the beginning of December. These things happen. What matters most is that the fights are worth waiting for."