Will Tyson Fury be ready to face Oleksandr Usyk after injury? Here are some answers

The long-awaited fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight championship is now scheduled to take place on May 18 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The Fury-Usyk fight was scheduled for February 17 before the bout was postponed due to a cut Fury sustained over his right eye while sparring on Friday.

The cut required 11 stitches to close, Fury said Saturday on “The MMA Hour.”

Fury said he was grateful to receive a new date after just one, and boxing fans are sure to join 'The Gypsy King' in solace that this fight will finally happen, even if the three-month wait has been disappointing.

“There's nothing anyone can do about taking a share,” Fiore said. “…I've never had one before [while sparring]. First time for everything.”

Will Fury be fully recovered by May 18? What if the fight is postponed again for some reason? Let's dig deeper:

How did Fury suffer the cut?

Statement Fury v USYK pic.twitter.com/z7nf4Q3N70

– Queensberry Promotions (@Queensberry) February 2, 2024

Fury (34-0-1, 24 KO) was putting the finishing touches to his training camp in Riyadh when he suffered a horrific cut over his right eye while sparring on Friday.

Fiore said he then went to the hospital and received 11 stitches to close the wound. This would make it impossible for him to fight within two weeks.

A video circulating on social media shows Fury, wearing a headgear, absorbing an elbow from his sparring partner before “The Gypsy King” pauses the action. Fury's promoter, Queensberry, posted a photo of the cut, which showed how dangerous he was.

“I arranged to go 12 rounds with four different guys,” Fury said on Saturday. “In the fifth round, I got an elbow to the eye, a split eye. … There's nothing anyone can do about getting cut. … I've never been hurt before (in sparring). First time in everything. “

Usually, fighters finish sparring for 10 days, so this was one of Fury's last sparring sessions before the fight.

Will Fury be ready by May 18?

Apparently, though there may now be concerns that the scar tissue surrounding his right eye could be vulnerable to another cut in sparring or during an actual fight.

Fury, 35, has already been cut in roughly the same area. When England Fury was ready for his rematch with Deontay Wilder, he had a tune-up match against Otto Wallin in September 2019. The bout was much tougher than expected and left Fury with a horrific gash over his right eye that required 46 stitches.

Normally, it takes approximately four to six weeks for tissue to rebuild to maximum strength, and given the location of the cut (directly above Fury's right eye), the heavyweight champion will need to ensure he makes a full recovery.

Since Fury likely won't be able to fight for about six weeks, and will need an eight-week training camp to prepare for Usyk, the timeline for the rescheduled bout should work out.

Why did Usyk's team claim Fury is afraid to fight?

Fury did not accept suggestions from Usyk's manager, Egis Klimas, that the injury was not legitimate and did not occur in the way Fury said.

“They have the medical reports, they have everything,” Fury said. “Take a look at the eye…there's nothing anyone can do about making a cut.”

In response to Usyk's team and social media's doubts about the authenticity of the injury, Turki Al Sheikh, head of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority, said he has a “private camera” that allows him daily access to Fury's training camp in Riyadh. He confirmed that there was a serious break that appeared as a result of a sparring incident.

Usyk said he simply smiled when he was informed of the postponement and began training. Klimas claimed on the show that Fury was “scared” and that he did not want to fight Usyk.

“Why wouldn’t I want to fight for the biggest payday of my life and spend 10 weeks in training camp?” Anger responded.

Al-Sheikh said that if either fighter withdraws from the May 18 bout, he must forfeit $10 million from his wallet. And also that one of them will still be fighting on that date.

What makes Fury-Usyk a super fighter?

Fury and Usyk aren't just the two best heavyweights in the world. The fight will also feature a rare encounter between two heavyweights who are both listed pound-for-pound.

Both Fury and Usyk are great boxers of all time and are headed to the Hall of Fame. The bout will also crown the first undisputed heavyweight boxing champion since Lennox Lewis in 2000 and the first in the four-belt era.

Fury and Usyk have been circling each other for years and appeared close to reaching an agreement for an April 2023 clash at London's Wembley Stadium before talks collapsed.

The promotion was not friendly, with both boxers making fun of each other. Naturally, Fury is coming off a lackluster performance in October when he struggled to get the better of former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.

Usyk is coming off a ninth-round KO win over Daniel Dubois in August. Usyk's resume includes an Olympic gold medal, an undisputed cruiserweight title shot and two heavyweight title victories over Joshua.

Fury's resume features a classic heavyweight trilogy with Deontay Wilder, which included two wins for Fury and a draw. The third meeting was named ESPN's Fight of the Year and KO of the Year, and is considered one of the greatest fights in the history of the heavyweight division.

Fury also finished off Hall of Famer Wladimir Klitschko in 2015.