RIYADH: Oleksandr Usyk's team filed a formal request with the Middle East Professional Boxing Commission to mandate Tyson Fury trim his beard prior to Saturday's unified heavyweight championship bout, ESPN reported.
A cleanly shaven Fury (34-1-1, 24 KOs) didn't fare well in his last encounter with Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs), losing a split decision for the undisputed heavyweight championship on May 18 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Fury, however, now sports a bushy beard.
Per WBC championship fight rules, "a boxer may spouse a trimmed beard ... as long as, in the direction of the commission and the supervisor, the facial hair thickness does not: 1) cushion or in any way affect the impact or trajectory of punches; or 2) cut cuts or abrasions to his rival."
Fury's manager Spencer Brown told ESPN that his charge will not be shaving his beard for the bout.
"Tyson Fury has boxed with a beard on many occasions as do other fighters, most recently (Artur) Beterbiev," Brown said. "Usyk himself has come out publicly and said Tyson having a beard is no problem. There is no law or ruling in boxing to say you can't fight with a beard. It's ridiculous that this has already been brought up in a rules meeting to no avail. Simply put, if Usyk had a beard, we would have no issue. This is not a fashion show, it's boxing."
WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman noted to ESPN that he inspected Fury's facial hair and said "there is no issue from our side."
With the victory in May, Usyk cemented himself as the first undisputed heavyweight champion in nearly 25 years. Lennox Lewis was the last boxer to accomplish the feat thanks to a win over Evander Holyfield in 1999. - Reuters