• Tyson Fury v Dereck Chisora

Chisora pulls out of Fury fight

ESPN staff
July 21, 2014
Dereck Chisora and Tyson Fury clashed during their pre-fight press conference in London last week © Getty Images
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Dereck Chisora has pulled out of Saturday's heavyweight bout with Tyson Fury after fracturing his hand in training.

Chisora hurt his right hand during his final sparring session last week with an MRI scan today confirming the injury.

The pair were set to clash at Manchester's Phones 4u Arena for the right to face world champion Wladimir Klitschko but the fight has now been postponed with a new date expected to be announced soon.

"I can't tell you how disappointed I am to have to pull out of the fight against Fury, but it is on the advice of my specialist that I have to do this," said Chisora, who was beaten by Fury on points in 2011.

Tyson Fury beat Dereck Chisora on points in 2011 © PA Photos
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"I'm sorry for the fans who will get to miss this great fight between me and Tyson this Saturday, but once my hand is healed and I'm given the all-clear to train and punch again, I'll be working on the new date for the fight.

"I was in fantastic shape and had a great training camp, probably the best so far in my career, and was looking forward to getting revenge on Fury, but that will have to wait.

"I'm sorry to have to pull out on Fury, as I know that he had been training hard and it was going to be a great fight between two top athletes and I hope we can get it on again soon."

It is the third time in less than 12 months that Fury has seen his opponent withdraw through injury after David Haye twice postponed their fight last year before cancelling it altogether.

Before the postponement was announced, Fury had earlier tweeted Chisora: "Don't even think of pulling out of this fight b****. Don't do a @mrdavidhaye & be a s***house c***. You'll be a laughing stock." The tweet was later deleted.

Promoter Frank Warren has confirmed that Saturday's show will still go ahead and will now be headlined by middleweight Billy Joe Saunders' European title fight against Emanuele Blandamura.

"Everybody involved in the fight worked hard to get it on and for this to happen on the final week is a big disappointment to everyone," Warren said. "There's no way that Dereck could fight with his hand fractured and there's no way I would let him get into the ring and fight with an injury like that.

"Obviously you've got to feel for Tyson who, through no fault of his own, has been hit hard by this postponement after all the training he has put in. It's a big heavyweight fight with a lot at stake for both fighters and we're working hard to get a new date confirmed. It's an old cliche, but the show goes on, and despite Chisora v Fury off the show, a cracking undercard packed with title fights will still go ahead."

Chisora and Fury had trash-talked relentlessly for months leading up to their rematch and almost came to blows during a pre-fight press conference in London last week.

Fury is set to attend a disciplinary hearing on August 13 to answer a misconduct charge from the British Boxing Board of Control after he erupted into an expletive-filled attack on Chisora, Wladimir Klitschko and Haye at the event.

Chisora, who was banned after he brawled with Haye at a press conference in 2012, even apologised for Fury's profanities during the incident.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd
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