Oleksandr Usyk’s manager, Egis Klimas, has slammed Tyson Fury following the postponement of the highly-anticipated undisputed heavyweight title fight, which had been scheduled for February 17 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Queensberry Promotions confirmed on Friday that Fury had sustained a cut over his right eye following a sparring session as the WBC heavyweight champion trained ahead of his fight with his Ukrainian counterpart.
Reportedly, Argon Smakici was the sparring partner involved in the session who caused the cut that Fury sustained.
Upon hearing that the undisputed clash has been pushed back, Klimas exploded in rage when he spoke to The Ring.
“Tyson Fury is a fucking coward who will do anything not to face Usyk, and he asked his bitch to hit him with a frying pan in his brow,” Klimas told The Ring. “You can quote me word for word for that.
“When the news was brought to Oleksandr, he just smiled,” Klimas responded when asked about Usyk’s reaction. “That is all he did. He is too mentally strong to break.
There is speculation that Filip Hrgovic could replace Fury, and save Usyk’s February 17 date. A proposed Usyk-Hrgovic fight would also fullfill Usyk's IBF mandatory obligations.
Hrgovic, upon Fury’s withdrawal, told ESPN:
“Now that Fury has gotten injured, I’m ready to step in and fight Usyk. Let’s go, Usyk, you owe me my mandatory shot. It’s time to finally face me.”
