Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has questioned the IBF’s decision to allow Oleksandr Usyk to retain his heavyweight title for an immediate rematch with Tyson Fury.
The Ukrainian defeated Fury this month in a spilt decision victory to become the first fighter since Lennox Lewis defeated Evander Holyfield in 1999 to unify the belts.
Usyk was in danger of being stripped of his IBF Championship due to the fact he was meant to make a mandatory title defence against Croatia’s Filip Hrgovic.
However, IBF President Daryl Peoples confirmed that Usyk requested an exception to keep his IBF heavyweight world title for a Fury rematch, rather than being stripped for not facing his IBF mandatory challenger.
And, after Turki Alalshikh confirmed that the rematch has been set for December 21, Matchroom boxing chief Hearn has insisted it’s ‘not fair’ on Hrgovic.
While Hearn insisted that the immediate rematch was unfair on Croatian heavyweight Hrgovic, he did admit that another fight between Fury and Usyk made sense.
