Frank Warren has confirmed Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk’s fight for the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world will take place early next year.
The highly-anticipated contest had been tentatively pencilled in for December 23 but has now been rescheduled.
It will still be hosted in Saudi Arabia as previously planned, however, with Fury’s promoter Warren providing an update after the WBC champion’s unexpectedly difficult bout with MMA fighter Francis Ngannou last weekend.
Warren said: “The fight will happen before March 2 and it will be for the undisputed title and all four belts.
“The IBF have given consent for that now and it’s all done.
“The fight is on. Everybody’s agreed and it will be announced fairly soon.”
&w=707&quality=100)
The postponement came following Fury’s split decision win against Ngannou in Riyadh last Saturday, in which the former UFC heavyweight champion was making his boxing debut.
Warren explained the reasons for the delay, after a competitive encounter which saw the undefeated title holder knocked down in the third round and suffer facial injuries.
He added: “It’s not just the bruising, it’s also the fact he was in a 12-week camp and he’s got a new baby.
“It was a tough fight to win, so he needs to go home and take a couple of weeks off and then you’ve only got six weeks to train.
“If the fight against Ngannou had ended early, December 23 would have been a very reliable date.
“But when Tyson said he was still ready to fight Usyk, I said: ‘You’re not’.”
Warren remains optimistic about Fury’s chances against the Ukrainian, who holds the IBF, WBA and WBO versions of the heavyweight championship.
He said: “I think Tyson beats Usyk, I really do.
“Tyson knows this and he knows what to expect. Usyk’s not going to change his style.
“But Usyk can sit there and think to himself: ‘Is there now a little chink in Tyson’s armour?’ Who knows?
“But Usyk is a competitor. He wants to fight and he’ll go for it. It’ll be a good fight.”
SOURCE: livescore.com