Tyson Fury will be wearing the same gloves he wore against Deontay Wilder in their rematch when he takes on Oleksandr Usyk in Saudi Arabia.
Fury, as usual, dons his infamous horse hair Paffen Sport brand when he trades blows with Usyk for all the divisional marbles.
The gloves caused significant controversy when Fury defeated Wilder in 2020, with accusations flying everywhere of wrongdoing. However, since the Wilder fight, there has been no problem from any of Fury’s opponents.
Francis Ngannou was the last fighter to mention the gloves before they fought in October. The UFC star spoke to Joe Rogan on his podcast about his concerns.
“I have heard a lot of complaints about his gloves. His gloves have no protection,” said Ngannou to Rogan. “He’s very tricky with his glove.
“We are talking about it with the team, and they’re like, ‘Oh, there’s the UK commission with the gloves. I’m like, ‘Bro, we’re going to get there. We need every glove to be checked.”
On Wilder’s complaints, Ngannou added: “His opponent complains about his gloves. It might not be [true], but we have to check that.
“I think we have nothing to lose by double-checking because it’s been more than once that people talk about his gloves and even his opponents.”
Despite Wilder and Ngannou’s words, no Commission or sanctioning body has ever found anything wrong with Fury’s gloves for any of his bouts. WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman has confirmed many times that Fury’s gloves are thoroughly checked in the dressing room before every fight.
Nonetheless, Fury will always have to deal with disgruntled detractors, especially those who believe Wilder’s outlandish claims.
Top Rank Chairman Bob Arum expects a fair fight and a great spectacle for the fans.
“In boxing, there is a saying that the most important division is the heavyweight division. When we have the opportunity to have an undisputed heavyweight champion crowned, as we will on Saturday night, it is something very, very significant. The last fighter to be crowned undisputed is sitting out in the audience, and it happened 25 years ago for Lennox Lewis.
“Saturday night will be a very important night for boxing. We will not only be crowning the undisputed heavyweight champion, but the two participants have never lost a fight. Now, how rare is that?
“How great is it that this fight on Saturday will be held here in the Kingdom? The eyes of the world, not just boxing fans, will be focusing on the arena, on this fight. It will be a great one.”
Read all articles and exclusive interviews by Phil Jay. Learn more about the author, experienced boxing writer, and World Boxing News Editor since 2010. Follow on Twitter @PhilJWBN.
