- Tyson Fury was accused of breaching regulations in his second fight with Usyk
- Frank Warren shared his thoughts on the complaint, labelling it ‘bulls***’
- Fury suffered his second career defeat, losing by unanimous decision to Usyk
Frank Warren rubbished claims that Tyson Fury broke any rules during his bout with Oleksandr Usyk on December 21.
The Brit lost his first fight with Usyk last May by split decision, and failed to avenge his only career setback in their second matchup.
Fury lost 116-112 on all three judges’ scorecards after an enthralling showdown in Saudi Arabia, leaving his dream of stripping his Ukrainian rival of his WBA, WBC and WBO titles in tatters.
After the fact, a journalist suggested that Fury’s shorts were worn too high, which breaches International Boxing Association (IBA) rules.
The IBA state that shorts should be loose-fitting and reach halfway down the thigh, or no lower than the knees. The waistband should also be slightly raised so that opponents cannot strike one’s groin.
Promoter Frank Warren broke his silence on the matter, slamming the ‘bulls***’ accusations.
Tyson Fury was accused of wearing his shorts too high during his fight with Oleksandr Usyk
Frank Warren, Fury’s promoter, dismissed the ‘bulls***’ claim, insisting no rules were broken
The 36-year-old lost by unanimous decision, as all three judges’ scorecards read 116-112
‘One of the journalists talking about him wearing his shorts up to underneath his nipples… bulls**t,’ he told Box Nation.
‘The referee came in the dressing room before the fight. The way he wore them was legal.’
‘Did you hear one complaint about that from the other side? None at all,’ he added, explaining that the complaint was not even raised by Usyk’s team.
‘Some idiot in there who knows nothing about boxing coming out with that and it’s just, I don’t know, I just find it ridiculous some of this stuff.’
Prior to the fight, it was also questioned whether Fury’s facial hair infringed IBA rules on permitted beard lengths, as the 36-year-old donned a fresh look in Riyadh. The IBA state that beards must be no longer than 10 centimetres.
Unlike the controversy over his shorts length, Fury’s facial hair length was disputed by Usyk’s team.
Warren dismissed the complaint as ‘a non-issue’ and ‘a total lot of c**p.’
Fury was cleared by the sanctioning bodies of both rule violations before the fight.
