Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk could be set for major rule change after 'emergency petition'

The blockbuster clash between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk could be set for a major rule change following an 'emergency petition'.

Fury vs. Usyk is set for May 18 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, following the postponement of their February bout.

Fury, who holds the WBC title, suffered a nasty cut in preparation for their original meeting, forcing him to withdraw.

He'll look to claim the WBA (super), WBO and IBF world titles when he takes on the undefeated Ukrainian.

And their showdown could have a unique judging system after an 'emergency petition' was sent to each sanctioning body, Fury, Usyk and their promoters.

WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman has proposed having SIX judges scoring Fury vs. Usyk.

He has distributed an 'emergency petition' to everyone involved asking them to institute a six-judge panel for their undisputed fight.

The theory is that six judges will minimise the effect of a bad scorecard.

Nick Ball and Rey Vargas during their world title fight. Image: Getty

Referencing Nick Ball's controversial draw against Rey Vargas on the Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou card, Sulaiman said: "What we saw last week in Saudi Arabia was another example of how fragile officiating worldwide continues to be.

"We saw one judge have it one way big and another judge having the other guy winning. Controversy like that in the Fury-Usyk fight will kill boxing."

He added: "Fights, especially those at this highest level, deserve this and so I’m putting forward this proposal now to all sanctioning bodies, promoters and fighters.

"It has to be something we all agree on."

Despite scoring two 10-8 rounds, Ball failed to earn the decision against Vargas.

One judge, however, scored the fight in his favour, with another judge giving the fight to the Mexican champion. The third judge had it a draw.

Sulaiman wants to avoid a repeat scenario when Fury and Usyk collide as he hopes to have six judges scoring the mega fight in Saudi Arabia.

Topics: Boxing, Oleksandr Usyk, Tyson Fury

Nasir Jabbar

Nasir Jabbar is a journalist at SPORTbible. He graduated from Bath Spa University with a BA in Media Communications. He's a combat sport aficionado and has contributed to MMA websites AddictedMMA and CagePotato. Nasir has covered some of the biggest fights, while interviewing the likes of Conor McGregor, Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Darren Till. He's also an avid Bristol City fan.

@NasJabbar