Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk locked in dispute ahead of fight after judge falls ill
Tyson Fury's rematch against Oleksandr Usyk is in jeopardy after one of the boxing judges set to score the fight fell ill.
Fury and Usyk are set to re-enter the ring in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday night (21 December) with a ring walk of around 10.55pm GMT planned.
But talks over a replacement judge have left both camps at loggerheads with neither agreeing over who should fill the vacant spot.
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Fernando Barbosa was one of the three judges set to score the bout but has not travelled to Saudi Arabia due to illness.
To fix the issue, two officials by the names of Steve Weisfeld and Ignacio Robles have been flown over. But as of right now, Team Fury and Team Usyk cannot agree on which judge should take the spot.
It has been reported that promoter Frank Warren has suggested a coin toss should decide who takes the seat.
They will have to find an agreement somehow otherwise the fight is at risk of not taking place at all.
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 added: "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."
Other issues discussed the day before the fight included the length of Fury's beard.
And ahead of the fight, Fury revealed he hadn't spoken to wife Paris for three months before the big sporting event.
"I've been away for months on end. I've not even spoke to me wife in over three months now," Tyson said in an interview with Sky Sports ahead of the big rematch.
"Not one word because I'm enjoying myself in my training camp and I don't want to go from being a husband and a dad to be a beast."
Fury added: "I want to stay in beast mode. It doesn't have to be like that but I've chose that route for this fight.
"I'm just looking forward to it all and getting in there and doing what I got to do."
Paris has since travelled to Riyadh with the couple's eldest son, 13-year-old Prince John James, to watch the fight. Tommy Fury is also in Saudi Arabia to support his brother.
How to watch Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk in the UK
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To watch Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk go head to head, there are three options:
1.) You can watch the rematch on DAZN with no subscription required. All you need to do is buy the PPV for £24.99 and you will automatically get a seven-day free trial which you can later cancel to stop the subscription from rolling over. You’ll be able to stream the match on a range of devices including PlayStation, Chromecast, and Smart TV. If you do decide to roll over your free trial, you’ll move onto a monthly plan costing £24.99 per month and get access to over 150 fights every year, with the option to cancel with 30 days’ notice.
2.) You can also tune in live on Sky Sports Box Office (Sky channel 491). The event is priced at £24.95 for Sky customers in the UK and €27.95 if you’re based in the Republic of Ireland. Sadly Sky does not offer free trials, but Sky subscribers can book the match here and if you’re new to Sky, you can sign up here.
3.) Finally, you can watch the fight on TNT Sports with a Prime Video subscription (free for the first month then £8.99/ month), provided you have discovery+ (from £3.99/ month) as part of your subscription. If you don't fancy shelling out, you can simply cancel your subscription after the first month.
Topics: Boxing, Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk, Saudi Arabia, Sport, UK News, World News
Tom Earnshaw