Fury Injured, Usyk Fight Off

Tyson Fury, the undefeated WBC heavyweight champion, has withdrawn from the scheduled heavyweight title unification fight against Oleksandr Usyk of Ukraine on Feb. 17.

Expressing his disappointment, the 35-year-old stated, "I am absolutely devastated after preparing for this fight for so long and being in such superb condition." Fury apologized to all parties involved in the event, including his own team, Team Usyk, undercard fighters, partners, fans, and hosts in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Fury confirmed on Friday that he suffered a significant cut over his right eye during sparring in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He shared a photo of the injury on social media.

The heavyweight champion plans to diligently work towards a rescheduled date once his eye has healed. The anticipated matchup between Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) and Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs), who owns the IBF, IBO, WBA, and WBO belts, was set to headline a major pay-per-view event at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh. While reports suggest a potential rescheduling in June at the same venue, the entire card has been canceled.