Many believe Tyson Fury’s cut eye won’t be healed by the May 18th date that His Excellency Turki Alalshikh has chosen for the undisputed heavyweight championship fight with Oleksandr Usyk.
If Alalshikh is serious about the $10 million forfeit penalty for either fighter if they pull out, there’s a good chance Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) will be the one to lose the money unless he wants to fight with a cut eye.
Fury’s Recovery and the May 18th Date
What’s confusing is that Alalshikh used the word “scared,” which doesn’t apply. He should have clarified that if either fighter pulled out with an injury, they would lose the $10 million.
It sounds like Alalshikh’s talk of the penalty is just words, and we could see Fury not being ready for the May 18th date because of his cut and not having to pay the $10 million penalty. Does the penalty also involve any injuries that cause the fight to be delayed? If so, Alalshikh should have said so.
Usyk is getting a raw deal from this because he’s losing out on money due to Fury’s injury. He’s not the one who brawled with a sparring partner two weeks before the fight.
“It looked like quite a deep cut. It happens with fighters, especially when they’re later on in their career. You pick up that scar tissue,” said Shane McGuigan to Boxing King Media, remarking about Tyson Fury’s cut.
“You saw the Otto Wallin fight where Tyson’s eye was really bad. Tyson Fury is 35, and your skin gets less supple with age as well. May seems quite close [for Fury-Usyk to be rescheduled], especially with the depth of that cut. It looked quite deep.”
“Obviously, they’re going to be some kind of contract put in place. They’re going to sign on the dotted line where if either of them can’t make it to the ring on the night, they have to pay a $10 million forfeit,” said Michael Bisping on his YouTube channel.
“It’s a little unfair to Oleksandr Usyk because he hasn’t pulled out. The reality is that Tyson did pull out. It was an accident, but it was he who pulled out.
“Now, Usyk might get cut in training, and there’s a potential penalty there for him. He hasn’t done anything. So if he accidentally gets cut, that’s a $10 million cut for him.”
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