Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk on December 23 officially OFF as Gypsy King targets new date after Francis Ngannou flop
TYSON FURY’S £150million December 23 undisputed decider with Oleksandr is OFF and could be delayed until as late as FEBRUARY.
Saturday night’s Saudi Arabia showdown with former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou was supposed to be little more than a sweetener to charm the Sheikhs into stumping up the Christmas cash.
But the 35-year-old WBC champ stank the 23,000 seater Kingdom Arena out, was dropped in the third round - by a professional boxing debutant - and saved by two generous judges who gifted him a split decision.
Poor old Usyk, 36, sat ringside watching his dream fight go up in smoke, head clasped in his hands as his rival not only fumbled the bag but accidentally toe punted it into a sand dune.
Licking his lips Ukraine’s WBA, IBF and WBO purred after watching the Fury flop: “I want to fight Tyson Fury on December 23, I am ready.”
But Fury promoter Frank Warren confirmed that his Halloween howler has now probably nudged the four-belt showdown well past Crimbo and toward a bloody Valentine's date.
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The hall-of-fame Queensberry promoter said: “It is too soon to talk about what Tyson does right now but the Usyk fight is signed.
“It will go ahead but it will not be on the 23rd. It was crazy for some people to suggest that it could still go ahead on the 23rd.
“He is 35-years-old and has just done a 12-week training camp and has just been in a tough fight.
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“He needs a break with his family, he needs to switch off and we will announce the date when we are ready. But the fight is signed. The fight will happen.
“It will happen early in the new year, late January or February. It will be up to Tyson, it is his body.
"We have a contract that says the fight has to take place on Dec 23rd… Let Fury vacate his title first, then he can take his rest… Tyson - we must fight, we must do it, Dec 23rd. See you in the ring. I love you."
Everybody inside the boxing business expected England’s 6ft 9in childhood boxer to play with Ngannou, the Cameroon Cinderella story who never saw a professional gym until he was 22.
The Morecambe showman claimed he couldn’t lose even if Ngannou had a machete and pistol in his hands instead of 10oz gloves.
But the 37-year-old - who had to smuggle himself illegally into Europe a decade ago and endured hospital and prison stays as part of his trek across the Sahara - was brilliant from the opening bell to his dignified speech in defeat.
And Warren reckons he saw it coming - to an extent.
“Ngannou was much better than people expected him to be,” he said. “He can box.
“As soon as he shaped up I thought ‘f***ing hell this kid can box’.
“People were talking like Ngannou was some sort of nerd, f***ing computer nerd, fighting in a joke fight.
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“But he is a proper fighter whose background is coming from Africa, a tough b******d through and through.
“I didn’t think he would be able to adapt to highest-level boxing at 37 but I got that wrong, because he f***ing did, didn’t he.”