07 February 2024 , 11:04
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Oleksandr Usyk forced Tyson Fury into agreeing to a potential £10million penalty after the Brit pulled out of their fight last week.
The heavyweight champions were due to clash in Saudi Arabia next weekend before Fury suffered a cut above his right eye 10 days before the first bell. The undisputed showdown was rescheduled for May 18 - but not before Fury agreed to pay Usyk from his own £60m purse if he withdraws again.
“It was our request when we were negotiating,” said Usyk’s manager Egis Klimas. “We said to the Saudis, if you are going to move the fight, make sure you include the penalty.” Usyk will also demand a replacement opponent is on standby should Fury not recover in time for the rescheduled date.
The Brit was cut by sparring partner Agron Smakici last Friday with the injury requiring 11 stitches. Usyk’s mandatory challenger Filip Hrgovic is the most-likely candidate having been ready to step in to fight the Ukrainian next weekend. But the Saudis, who are bankrolling the heavyweight division to the tune of hundreds of millions of pounds, insisted Usyk and Fury agreed to a new date.
After suffering his injury, Fury said: "I am absolutely devastated after preparing for this fight for so long and being in such superb condition. I feel bad for everyone involved in this huge event and I will work diligently towards the rescheduled date once the eye has healed. I can only apologise to everyone affected."
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This is the second time his planned fight with Usyk has been delayed after an initial slot in December failed to materialise after Fury struggled to beat former UFC world champion Francis Ngannou. The winner of the fight, when it eventually takes place, will be crowned as the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the four-belt era and the first undisputed champion since Lennox Lewis in 1999.