A former world champion has accused Tyson Fury of staging the elbow blow that forced him to postpone his heavyweight unification bout with Oleksandr Usyk.
Fury was due to fight Usyk on February 17 but knocked back the contest after suffering a nasty gash from Agron Smakici’s elbow in sparring.
His promotion team called it a ‘freak cut’ and he required 15 stitches in hospital, ruling him out of the undisputed heavyweight contest.
However, former world champion Timothy Bradley believes the Gypsy King orchestrated the whole thing.
‘I smell something. I smell bulls***, that’s what I smell,’ Bradley, a former welterweight and light welterweight champion told the Deep Waters podcast.
Timothy Bradley has accused Tyson Fury of staging the elbow blow that caused his eye cut
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Fury’s unification bout with Oleksandr Usyk was postponed after he suffered the eye gash
#FuryUsyk OFF !!!!! #fury pic.twitter.com/5ETQ2eQcz0
— Rees Tim (@Rees_T1) February 2, 2024
‘If you go and you look at that video, first of all the video had to be shot with a Samsung or something like that because the quality was all grainy… it looks disgusting.
‘When you look at it in slow motion, did that elbow, which looked deliberate, land on the eye of Tyson Fury? No. the punch landed on the chin of Tyson Fury.
‘If you look up the guy, he says that he landed a punch. That’s what he said, ‘I landed a punch on the guy’.
‘He claimed it was a punch that landed against Tyson Fury but they put out this little video and that elbow that was thrown, that was deliberate, and it landed on the chin.
‘I don’t know, I smell something fishy man. I see the cut. I get it.’
There is no evidence that Fury’s cut was staged, but Smakici denied using his elbow on him.
‘I am absolutely devastated after preparing for this fight so long and being in such superb condition,’ a dejected Fury said.
‘I feel bad for everyone involved in this huge event and I will work diligently towards the rescheduled date once the eye has healed.
Usyk and Fury were due to fight against each other in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on February 17
Usyk’s promoter Alexander Krassyuk couldn’t resist the chance to goad Fury after the news
‘I can only apologise to everyone affected including my own team, Team Usyk, the undercard fighters, partners, and fans as well as our hosts and my friends in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.’
The postponement is the latest setback for the showdown between the pair, who were slated to fight this time last year before both men walked away from negotiations – despite Usyk agreeing to a 70-30 split in the Gypsy King’s favour – when Fury asked to remove the rematch clause.
There may well be a sense of deja vu for Fury and his camp as it is the same right eye that required 47 stitches back in 2019 following a nasty gash inflicted by Otto Wallin.
Fury was caught by a series of Wallin’s hooks and he was left with a nasty laceration above his right eye.
Usyk’s team have already moved to goad Fury after the news, with his promoter Alexander Krassyuk writing him a message with a subtle dig.
‘Wish you the soonest recovery,’ he said in response to Fury’s post. ‘God sent you a sign. Think of retirement brother.’
Fury apologised in a statement and said he has been left ‘absolutely devastated’ by the injury
Usyk (pictured) is still hoping to box on that February 17 date, with IBF mandatory challenger Filip Hrgovic named as a possible opponent for the Ukrainian heavyweight
Meanwhile, Usyk’s manager Egis Klimas went on a brutal X-rated rant and said Fury would ‘do anything not to face’ the IBF, WBA and WBO champion.
He is quoted by Ring Magazine as saying: ‘Fury is a f****** coward who will do anything not to face Usyk, and he asked his b**** to hit him with a frying pan in his brow. You can quote me word for word for that.’
