With just one day to go before Tyson Fury’s world heavyweight championship clash with Oleksandr Usyk, the rival camps are locked in a dispute over a replacement official.
Usyk’s rematch with Britain’s Fury is due to take place this Saturday on a Riyadh Season bill live on Sky Sports Box Office.
The WBO, WBA and WBC championships, which Usyk won from Fury in their first fight, will be on the line.
Fernando Barbosa had been due to be one of the three judges on fight night but he was unable to travel to Riyadh due to illness.
Two officials, Steve Weisfeld and Ignacio Robles, have been flown in to replace him. But the respective fighter teams are split on which judge should be used on fight night, with promoter Frank Warren suggesting a coin toss should settle the issue.
It is a dispute that the commission will have to find a way to resolve.
Promoter Frank Warren told Sky Sports: “One of the judges has taken ill of the three that were decided upon.
“There are two standby judges, both of them are flying in and we’ve got to decide which one it’s going to be.
“We want one of them and the other camp wants the other, so I’ve suggested we spin a coin.”
Warren believes a resolution will eventually be found. “This will get sorted. Use a bit of common sense, and actually both camps are very, very professional and know what they have to do,” he said.
The other key points of contention at Friday’s rules meeting were the length of Fury’s beard, the position of the shorts and kissing a cross in the corner.
These might sound like minor subjects but they are major issues for the rival teams.
In professional boxing beards normally have to be kept trim and of a certain length, so a stubbled chin for instance can’t be used to scrape against a cut or inflict further damage. In this instance Usyk’s team queried whether Fury’s full beard could actually cushion a blow.
The decision was made in Fury’s favour – he will not be obligated to shave it off for the fight.
“He has a beard and there’s been a lot of fighters over the years who’ve fought with beards, and that’s it,” Warren noted.
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Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk have to be hauled apart after an incredible 11-minute face-off.
In another insight into Fury’s approach, his team sought clarity that any punches landed below the navel would be considered low blows regardless of the position of the beltline of the shorts and protective cup.
That suggests the Briton will be assaulting the body.
Warren explained: “It’s what is considered to be a low blow or not.
“Anything below the navel is a low blow and a lot of fighters wear their shorts higher and that sometimes leads to what you could say confusion as happened with Usyk and Daniel Dubois.
“There was a problem in that fight and we don’t want that happening and nor does the other side, so the judge has made it very clear – which the judge in that previous fight did not make clear, he didn’t come and give any instructions on it in the boxers’ dressing rooms – to ensure that everybody understands this clarification and we know what a low blow is.”
Usyk famously kissed a cross in the corner during the first fight and went out to deliver an inspired performance. But Fury’s team don’t want a “foreign object” in any corner, in order to eliminate any potential doubt and reduce online speculation.
Warren said: “After the fight there was a lot of speculation, they weren’t sure what it was. We just cut through it all. If there’s anything that is used other than water that goes to the fighter’s lips, then the inspector will take it away and hold it and if anything is seen to be not correct then they’ll deal with it, test it, whatever that may be, what they have to do.”
Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury’s huge heavyweight rematch will be live on Saturday December 21 on Sky Sports Box Office. Book Usyk v Fury 2 now!
