Tyson Fury has broken his silence on his number one rival’s recent low blow controversy – sort of…
Oleksandr Usyk retained his WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight world titles against Daniel Dubois to keep hopes of an undisputed fight with WBC champion Fury alive.
Despite being in control for the majority, the bout saw controversy in the fifth when Dubois dropped Usyk with what was immediately ruled an illegal punch.
The Brit’s team are set to appeal the decision, looking for a no contest to be declared or a rematch ordered. The Ukrainian’s team say there is no chance of this happening.
Usyk went on to score a ninth round stoppage – only his second in the heavyweight ranks – but the low blow debate has enveloped all of the post-fight talk.
Never one to miss a dig, Fury took to Instagram today to show off a pair of shorts positioned well above his waist line.
He included the words ‘soft belly’ – likely a nod to Usyk’s nickname for him, Greedy Belly, and the idea that the Ukrainian may be vulnerable to body shots.
Much of the debate has centred on not just where shots are legally allowed to land, but the position of Usyk’s shorts during the fight and where the referee, Luis Pabon, set out as the line.
Despite Dubois being a big obstacle in the way of a four-belt clash between the two champions, the fight is still a hard one to make.
Fury is out on October 28 in a crossover bout with MMA star, Francis Ngannou. Despite many feeling the fight has little jeopardy for the boxer, it does prevent him negotiating with Usyk straightaway.
Instead, Usyk’s second mandatory defence has been ordered in the form of the IBF’s Filip Hrgovic. The Croatian heavyweight’s team have told Boxing Social that they have no intention of stepping aside.