Tyson Fury sparring partner who inflicted 'freak cut' to postpone Oleksandr Usyk fight 'responds'

The sparring partner who allegedly inflicted a 'freak cut' on Tyson Fury that caused the postponement of his fight against Oleksandr Usyk has responded, according to a new report.

Fury was forced to pull out of his planned fight against Usyk, which was due to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on February 17, after sustaining the cut in sparring.

Footage of the alleged moment that the cut was inflicted on 'The Gypsy King' has since emerged online.

Meanwhile, Fury's promoter Frank Warren told talkSPORT that the incident occurred on Friday morning whilst Fury was in sparring with a 'Croatian heavyweight'.

The Croatian heavyweight in question, according to Sky Sports, is understood to be Agron Smakici, who is a professional boxer and has a record of 20-2 at professional level.

Boxing Talk (as per The Sun) claim that, in a text message to a third party following the sparring session, Smakici said: "It was a clear punch so I don't feel bad."

SPORTbible has contacted Agron Smakici's representatives for further comment.

According to reports, Usyk's team are 'exploring' a potential fight against IBF mandatory challenger Filip Hrgovic on February 17.

Queensberry Promotions say that Fury will be assessed by doctors before any further steps are taken towards setting a new date for the unification title bout.

In a press release following the announcement that the bout would be postponed, a Queensberry Promotions spokesperson said: "Whilst this is still breaking news, it is clearly a massive disappointment after the work that has been done by so many people to finally deliver this historic event to the world.

"Once the doctors have appraised Tyson's eye, we will have a better idea of the period of recovery needed.

"Once known, we will work diligently with all the stakeholders and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to reschedule this fight as soon as possible and will of course keep everyone updated with developments."

Topics: Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk, Boxing

Ryan Smart

Live in constant hope of the top flight as a Preston North End fan. Written in the past for SPORF, GiveMeSport and more.