Tyson Fury to pay Oleksandr Usyk multi-million-pound fee if he pulls out of fight after being spotted on crutches

Tyson Fury could be forced to pay a huge fee to Oleksandr Usyk if he withdraws from their upcoming fight at late notice after being spotted on crutches.

Fury, 35, is due to face Usyk, 37, on Saturday in an undisputed heavyweight title fight in Saudi Arabia.

It was originally due to take place on February 17 but Fury was forced to withdraw from the bout after sustaining a cut above his eye during sparring.

Fresh doubts were raised over the fight on Monday when Fury was spotted on crutches at a media day to promote the fight.

Footage showed Fury leaving the event on a crutch moments before his father John Fury headbutted a member of Usyk's team, causing chaos.

The elder Fury emerged from the brawl with blood streaming down his face, while Usyk's team member Stanislav Stepchuk was also cut on the head during the incident.

There has been little information over why Tyson Fury was spotted on crutches, although at present there is no suggestion the fight is off.

The 'Gypsy King' is expected to give a further update on his preparation for the fight at the grand arrivals for the event on Tuesday evening.

Should Fury be forced to pull out of the fight, he may be required to pay a huge fee as per the terms of staging the bout in Saudi Arabia.

During an episode of The MMA Hour With Ariel Helwani in February after the first fight was postponed, Saudi royal adviser Turki Alalshikh - the man responsible for bringing world-class boxing to the Gulf state - confirmed both fighters would be required to pay their opponent a huge sum if they pulled out of the second date.

"I guarantee both of the fighters £10m if someone escapes from the fight. This is the first thing, and the second thing – I guarantee a big fight on the same night for another one," he said.

"Make the people around the world know if someone is scared and wants to escape from this fight.

"May 18 – we will have Tyson vs Usyk."

Usyk's promoter, Alexander Krassyuk, has previously expressed doubts over whether Fury will be ready for the rearranged fight.

He claimed in April that Filip Hrgovic could be drafted in to face the undefeated Ukrainian if the British fighter pulls out.

Hrgovic is scheduled to meet Daniel Dubois on June 1, but could potentially get the call-up for the undisputed showdown should anything happen to the WBC title holder.

Tyson Fury seen leaving media day on CRUTCHES before his dad, John Fury, confronts Usyk’s team 🤯 pic.twitter.com/UDe294yaYy

— Mail Sport (@MailSport) May 13, 2024

"Usyk has actually had a triple camp for this fight," Krassyuk said.

"He started in September for the fight to take place last December. We showed up to the [Francis] Ngannou fight to step in the ring to announce the fight for the undisputed, but his team jumped and said he didn’t look that good, so Usyk gave him some space to prepare at his camp in Saudi Arabia.

"We were then meant to fight on Feb 17, then we were rescheduled for May."

He added: "Tyson Fury has withdrawn four times already from this fight.

"Remember that we were looking to fight last April; he pulled out of it then, too. That’s why we fought Daniel Dubois. This will be the fourth camp we have had for Tyson Fury.

"I've not got too much confidence in the rematch happening, by the way. If Tyson Fury loses, will he have the confidence to step inside the ring again? Theoretically he can, but we all know what happened in the rematch with Wladimir Klitschko."