Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk rebooked with massive pullout clause in place

The long-awaited undisputed heavyweight title fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk has been rebooked with a massive pullout clause in place.

Fury (34-0-1) and Usyk (21-0) were originally scheduled to fight on Saturday, February 17th in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.  

However, on Friday it was announced that the reigning WBC champion, Tyson Fury, had suffered a nasty cut in training and would be unable to compete this month as planned.

Usyk, 37, who currently holds the WBA, WBO and IBF belts, was not happy with the news and his team even went as far as to request the WBC strip ‘The Gypsy King’ of his title.

Thankfully, cooler heads eventually prevailed, and the bout has now been rescheduled for May 18th in Saudi Arabia.

In addition to Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk being rebooked, Turki Alalshikh also announced that there is now a high stakes pullout clause in effect for both fighters.

“I have guarantees from both of the fighters, $10 million if someone escapes from the fight.”

So, if either Fury or Usyk is forced to withdraw from the new fight date, they will owe their opponent a whopping $10 million for the delay.

Tyson Fury most recently competed this past October, where he squeaked out a split decision win over former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. That victory marked the Brit’s seventh in a row, as he had previously scored stoppage wins over Derek Chisora, Dillian Whyte and Deontay Wilder.

As for Oleksandr Usyk, the Ukranian champion last competed in August of 2023, where he earned a ninth-round knockout victory over Daniel Dubois. That win was preceded by back-t0-back victories over Anthony Joshua to claim and defend the WBA, WBO and IBF belts.

Fury and Usyk had the following back and forth following today’s announcement:

Tyson Fury: Never call me a coward again.#TheMMAHour pic.twitter.com/klDPPE4td8

— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) February 3, 2024

Who are you picking to win when Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk collide on May 18 in Saudi Arabia?