Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are set for their rescheduled May 18th fight in Saudi Arabia. WBC heavyweight champion Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs), who is coming off an eye injury after rumors of having a poor training camp, is in a position where his back is against the wall now.
With His Excellency Turki Al Sheikh adding £10 million penalty clause for the rescheduled May 18th date for either champion if they pull out, it puts pressure on them, especially the injured 35-year-old Fury, who many believe isn’t eager to face IBF/WBA/WBO champion Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs).
Tyson’s Cornered: Fight or Pay
The £10 million penalty clause puts Fury’s back against the wall, cornering him. If the true reason for Fury pulling out of his February 17th fight with Usyk is because he was getting royally thrashed by virtually all of his sparring partners, and he felt that he needed time, he’s going to have problems if nothing changes.
More time probably won’t change anything with Fury. Without the Fountain of Youth, Fury could be in trouble.
Fury’s problems could be age, ring wear, years of soft living, inactivity, weak opoiosition and him being overrated to begin with. There’s a lot of doubt whether Fury is truly committed to the fight with Usyk.
Most believe Fury has resisted the fight with Usyk for years, and the only reason he’s taking the fight now is the Saudis are throwing huge cash at him, waving the mega-millions under his snoot to lure him into it.
Financial Pressure Mounts
There’s a belief that the only reason Fury won’t weasel out of the Usyk fight a second time is to avoid being stuck with the £10 million penalty rather than his motivation to his competitive spirit for the sport.
In other words, the only thing that’s keeping Fury from turning tail and running is losing out on that load of dough.
“What’s ahead of him now is Oleksandr Usyk, a very motivated, a very p****d off,” said boxing expert Chris Algieri to ProboxTV. “Oleksandr Usyk. The guy has never been beaten. People ask, ‘What is he so good at?’ He’s good at winning. He doesn’t know how to lose.
“That’s what Tyson Fury needs to dedicate himself to. Stop talking about what you’re going to do down the line. Focus on the man you’ve got right in front of you. Don’t disrespect Oleksandr Usyk’s chances in this fight..”