Izuchukwu Okosi
Ahead of the May 18 grudge WBO/IBF unification fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk titled ‘Ring of Fire’, Fury’s promoter, Frank Warren has called for a ‘strong’ referee to officiate the bout.
The heavyweight boxers were billed to meet on February 17 in Riyahd, Saudi Arabia but had to be postponed as Fury recovered from a facial injury he sustained during a sparring match.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThe ‘Gypsy King’ held his first press conference for the bout last week and his promoter has spoken out on the need to engage a referee of repute for the fight in a bid to avoid any unwarranted controversies.
“We want to get all these things done. We want no controversy. We want somebody in there who everybody respects and will be very, very strong,” Warren noted.
The A-list promoter was unequivocal about his opinion about the last referee that took charge of his client’s fight.
“The last referee was just a joke. Completely ridiculous the whole thing. Whether it was a low blow or not, the time he gave him and then, when he wanted to fight, he said ‘no, take more time out.
Warren acknowledged that Usyk could target Fury’s aforementioned cut to give himself the best possibility of defeating the British star.
He added: “I’m sure they’re going to use every trick in the book and that’s boxing isn’t it?
“That’s what’s going to happen and Tyson’s a seasoned pro, a seasoned warrior and he knows what he’s got to do.”
In a related development, although a rematch clause exists between Usyk and Fury, Anglo-Nigerian Anthony Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn has hinted that he would like to stage the long-awaited Joshua-Fury bout in the interim, should Fury defeat Usyk.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
