WBC Plans To Add Jury To Tyson Fury Vs Oleksandr Usyk Duel

Tyson Fury will duel for the unification of the heavyweight title against Oleksandr Usyk (Instagram/@tysonfury).

JAKARTA The World Boxing Council (WBC) plans to increase the number of judges for the Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk fight to reduce controversial decisions.

WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman said he had proposed adding a jury to five or six of the three commonly known judges to date.

"We propose to use five judges or six judges," he told Sky Sport as reported by Boxing Scene.

"It was the only intention to ensure there was no controversy. We faced the biggest fight in 25 years in the heavyweight division. So, we have to try to do our best," he said.

Sulaiman further emphasized that he would continue to try to recommend adding the number of judges to the fight even though his proposal had been rejected.

"Boxing is a sport whose changes are very difficult to come by. We are purliants, traditionalists, we don't want change. I will continue to make proposals. Some like the idea, some like the decision-making process. Just look at it," he said.

In addition, Sulaiman also wants to use video technology for the awaited fight. This technology aims to minimize the mistakes made by the jury.

This plan reflects on the fight between Fury and former UFC heavyweight world champion Francis Ngannou, which took place in October 2023. There is some controversy in that match that should be reviewed with this technology.

"To have absolute certainty that there will be no controversy. In such a match, it will be very unacceptable," he said.

Fury and Usyk will duel for an undisputed heavyweight title for the first time in nearly 25 years. They should have dueled February 17, 2024, but moved to May 18, 2024 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

This schedule shift was carried out because Fury suffered facial injuries while undergoing training.