Tyson Fury sparring partner has no regrets about cut which postponed Usyk fight

05 February 2024 , 14:08

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Tyson Fury sparring partner has no regrets about cut which postponed Usyk fight

Tyson Fury's sparring partner "doesn't feel bad" about the punch which led to the postponement of the Brit's undisputed world title fight with Oleksandr Usyk.

Fury was scheduled to fight bitter rival Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight world titles on February 17, but was forced to pull out on just over two weeks' notice after being cut in sparring. Video footage later emerged of Croatian heavyweight Agron Smakici cutting Fury, but most fans were convinced it was an accidental elbow that landed instead of a punch.

Smakici holds a professional record of 20-2 with 18 of his wins coming by knockout and is also 1-1 in MMA. Boxing Talk reported that when Smakici was asked if he regretted anything about the spar, he said: "It was a clear punch so I don't feel bad." Fury's take on the injury was different to Smakici's as the Brit insisted he was cut by the Croatian's elbow.

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"I had arranged to spar 12 rounds with four different guys in round five I got an elbow in the eye, been to the hospital and got 11 stitches - nothing much anything can do about cut in sparring, s*** happens," Fury, who will now take on Usyk on May 18, said on The MMA Hour. "I was very disappointed, I've been in Saudi Arabia five weeks training and everything was going fantastic.

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"It’s a cut that you can’t help and these things happen in camp sometimes. There's nothing that anybody can do, It’s god's will." Usyk went straight back to sparring after he was told about Fury's injury and the fight being off. "My reaction was just to smile, I am training after my sparring my team told me that Tyson Fury was cut. After that, I just smiled and went back to training," he said.

The cut above Fury's right eye is the same injury he sustained in his nervy 2019 win against Otto Wallin. Fury was in great shape for the fight but was forced to clarify a picture he posted after pulling out, with fans linking it to a snap he posted several years ago wearing the same underwear.

"The picture of me is not an old picture, it's a new picture. I'm in fantastic shape, I’ve been training hard. I've been on a great diet and I was ready to rock and roll," Fury added. 'The Gypsy King' said of his health whilst captioning the photo: “Can’t help getting injured in sparring but what I can say was Usyk was in trouble, I am in fantastic shape."

Harry Davies