Tyson Fury injury: WBC heavyweight champion suffers cut in camp, postpones unification with Oleksandr Usyk

The first four-belt undisputed heavyweight title bout will have to wait once again after Fury was forced to withdraw

A cut suffered in sparring has pulled WBC and lineal heavyweight titleholder Tyson Fury from his Feb. 17 championship clash against unified king Oleksandr Usyk, Fury's promoter, Queensberry Promotions, announced on Friday. 

The fight, which was scheduled to emanate from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, marked the first undisputed championship bout at heavyweight since the dawn of the four-belt modern era and the first time since Lennox Lewis defeated Evander Holyfield in their 1999 rematch that all recognized world titles in the division would belong to a single fighter. 

"I am absolutely devastated after preparing for this fight for so long and being in such superb condition. I feel bad for everyone involved in this huge event and I will work diligently towards the rescheduled date once the eye has healed," Fury said in a statement. "I can only apologize to everyone affected including my own team, Team Usyk, the undercard fighters, partners, and fans as well as our hosts and my friends in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia."