Tyson Fury behaved ‘professionally’ in sparring after suffering a deep cut which saw his fight with Oleksandr Usyk postponed, according to Agron Smakici, who has spoken to Express Sport about the incident since accidentally landing his elbow on the Gypsy King.
Fury and Usyk’s hotly-anticipated heavyweight contest was due to take place in Saudi Arabia on February 17, with the duo facing off to become undisputed champion. Fury holds the WBC title while Usyk boasts the WBA, WBO and IBF belts.
It therefore came as a major shock when the Gypsy King was cut during a sparring session last Friday, requiring 11 stitches and significant time to recover. Smakici described the stray elbow that caught Fury as a ‘freak accident’.
Despite the inconvenience caused, with Fury previously claiming to be in top shape for the fight, the Brit refused to blame sparring partner Smakici for his role in the bout’s postponement.
“He was very professional,” Smakici told Express Sport. “He wasn’t blaming anyone. Obviously, he was shocked and devastated but he wasn’t annoyed with me or anything like that.”
Fury now faces a three-and-a-half-month wait before contesting the first undisputed heavyweight title fight since Lennox Lewis met Evander Holyfield 25 years ago. Both fighters are under pressure to stick to the rearranged May 18 fight date.
Turki Alalashikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s general entertainment authority, claims that if Fury or Usyk try to reschedule again, they will have to forfeit £9.3million to the other fighter. Usyk’s manager Egis Klimas recently cast doubt over whether Fury’s injury is legitimate.
The Gypsy King delivered an emphatic response, telling MMA Hour: “Egis, never call me coward again. I’ve had 35 professional fights and have been boxing 18 years of my life. I’ve climbed off the canvas 10 times from the biggest punchers in history to win. Never a coward, never backed down from any man in my life.”
Smakici, who has 20 wins and two defeats on his professional CV, is keen to continue sparring with Fury if he is welcomed back into the camp.
“I would like to come again and help him [Fury] spar because I gave him the best sparring rounds,” he added. “I will even put on an elbow protector next time so that nothing can happen.”