Tyson Fury's sparring partner for Oleksandr Usyk fight reportedly quits training camp after just five rounds
WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury is set to take on unified heavyweight titleholder Oleksandr Usyk in a bid to become the undisputed champion of the world.
The two will fight in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Feb. 17.
Fury's preparations for the Usyk matchup have appeared to suffer its first blip after the exit of Australian cruiserweight champion Jai Opetai from his training camp. It was reported that Opetai only sparred for five rounds before parting ways due to a lack of orthodox sparring.
Sydney-based commentator Ben Damon reported the news on X (formerly known as Twitter):
"Jai Opetaia did five rounds of sparring with Tyson Fury in Saudi Arabia but with a lack of orthodox sparring in Fury’s camp Opetaia has now returned to Australia to continue his own preparations for the planned Mairis Briedis rematch at #FuryUsyk"
Since then, a follow up statement has been issued by Opetai's team addressing reports of the exit.
They have denied any conflict between the two boxers and clarified that Opetai only left to complete his own preparation for the same 'Ring of Fire' card:
"Jai Opetaia has recently returned from Saudi Arabia where he sparred and trained with Tyson Fury. They were fantastic, competitive rounds and an incredible experience for Jai. However any talk of either boxer being dropped is not true. Jai is now back in Australia finalising his preparation to defend his world title and cannot wait to do so in Saudi Arabia."
Opetai will defend his championship against former Latvian champion Mairis Briedis on the undercard of Fury vs. Usyk.
Check out his post below:
Lennox Lewis predicts advantage for Tyson Fury against Oleksandr Usyk
Former undisputed heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis weighed in on the blockbuster showdown between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.
Lewis posted on X that he was excited to see the two in action and acknowledged that Fury had the advantage of size:
"For the record, I’m looking forward to welcoming Fury or Usyk to the Undisputed club. Glad they have decided to chase history. Should be a great fight. A good big un’ beats a good little un’… Advantage Fury."
Lewis is the last heavyweight boxer to be the undisputed champion and spoke about the prospect of welcoming the newest member to the club.