17 February 2024 , 09:00
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Oleksandr Usyk has a clause in his contract which means he will fight Filip Hrgovic on May 18 if Tyson Fury pulls out of their bout again.
Fury and Usyk were scheduled to walk to the ring in Saudi Arabia tonight - but the Brit withdrew two weeks ago after suffering a cut in sparring. The fight - which will crown the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis in 1999 - was immediately moved to May 18.
Should either man pull out of that date, they will have to pay their rival $10million from their contract. And Usyk has also insisted he faces mandatory challenger Hrgovic if he is left high and dry by his fellow world champion.
"I hope Usyk will get the chance to settle the score with Fury on May 18, but if he continues to run, then we have a clause in the agreement to replace Fury with Filip Hrgovic," Usyk's coach Sergey Lapin told Fruity Slots. "Hrgovic is the back-up opponent, so the show will go on regardless of whether he shows up, this was also confirmed by His Excellency Turki Al Sheikh."
Usyk has been waiting for Fury since he stopped Daniel Dubois last August in Poland. He and Fury had agreed in principle to fight on December 23 - but Fury was forced to ask for a delay when he was dropped and almost stopped by Francis Ngannou last October.
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And Lapin believes Fury's performance against the former UFC world champion shows he is not the fighter he once was. "Let's say he did get cut - through a head guard and with large training gloves - can you imagine what will happen to his head when he receives a bomb from the Usyk in a ten-ounce glove?" he added.
"If Fury finally dares to enter the ring on May 18, then it will be a terrible dream for him, he has never boxed with a boxer of this level in his life. Ngannou exposed Fury for what he is, a fighter with too many miles on clock, a fighter who has had too many wars, and a fighter who is now in rapid decline to the point he's been badly troubled by sparring partners. "