Oleksander Usyk’s bizarre beard demand ahead of Tyson Fury fight

The boxing world will be trained on the rematch fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksander Usyk on Saturday, with the WBC, WBA and WBO titles up for grabs in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

When the two men met earlier this year Usyk came out on top, inflicting a first professional defeat on Fury. The stakes are high for the rematch and Usyk’s team have reportedly made a bizarre request ahead of the fight, demanding that Fury shaves his beard.

ESPN report that Usyk’s team made the request to the Middle East Professional Boxing Commission at Friday’s rules meeting, citing a passage in the WBC championship fight rules that refer to beard style and length.

The rules state: “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.”

Has Tyson Fury shaved his beard ahead of Usyk fight?

Despite the request, it does not appear that Tyson will shave his facial hair ahead of the big fight. Speaking to ESPN, Fury’s manager Spencer Brown of Goldstar insisted that there was nothing unusual about the boxer’s current beard: “Tyson Fury has boxed with a beard on many occasions as do other fighters, most recently [Artur] Beterbiev.”

He continued: “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.”

Fury will not have to shed the beard and he’s carrying a lot more extra weight for Saturday’s fight. On Friday he weighed in at a career-high 281 pounds, nearly 30 pounds heavier than the 262-pound Fury that weighed in for the first fight just seven months ago.

There’s no weight limit for heavyweight boxing and Fury is significantly heavier that Saturday’s opponent. Usyk weighed in at 226 pounds on Friday, just four pounds heavier than he was back in May.

Get your game on! Whether you’re into NFL touchdowns, NBA buzzer-beaters, world-class soccer goals, or MLB home runs, our app has it all. Dive into live coverage, expert insights, breaking news, exclusive videos, and more – plus, stay updated on the latest in current affairs and entertainment. Download now for all-access coverage, right at your fingertips – anytime, anywhere.