- Heavyweight rivals Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will finally meet on May 18th
- WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman supported a new judging system for the bout.
- This came after Nick Ball's controversial draw with Rey Vargas in Saudi Arabia.
WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman has backed a new judging system for the undisputed heavyweight title fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk to avoid controversial decisions that would “kill boxing”.
Fury and Usyk will finally meet in the ring as part of Riyadh Season in Saudi Arabia on May 18th to crown the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the four-belt era.
The two were scheduled to go head-to-head on February 17, following Fury's win over Francis Ngannou in October 2023. However, the undisputed title match was postponed due to the Gypsy King taking a break from sparring.
Thankfully, the match was rescheduled shortly after the incident and both fighters are now preparing for what could be their biggest fight in recent memory, with £100 million in prize money up for grabs.
However, Sulaiman has declared that he wants to have around six judges in place for the uncontroversial fight, and there is a possibility that a new system will be introduced to score the fight in two months' time. be.
“What we saw in Saudi Arabia last week was another example of how vulnerable referees around the world continue to be,” he told BoxingScene.
There had previously been a controversial decision that polarized opinion as part of a chaotic knockout event in Saudi Arabia where Anthony Joshua stopped Ngannou in the second round.
Featherweight Rey Vargas defended his WBC title against Nick Ball in a split draw despite putting his opponent on the canvas in the eighth and 11th rounds.
Sulaiman added: “We've seen one judge win big on one side, and then another judge beat the other judge.
“Controversies like Fury vs. Usyk will kill boxing.”
The purpose is believed to be for more judges to override bad scorecards on the night and give a fairer representation of the matches.
Sulaiman confirmed that ahead of the fight, he had sent an emergency petition to the WBO, IBF and WBA boards, as well as Fury and Usyk, asking for a six-judge panel to be formed.
As part of the plan, two judges will sit on either side of the ring, invisible to the broadcasters. However, he is not believed to have received a response from either combatant.
“Fighting, especially fighting at this highest level, deserves this. That is why I am now putting this proposal forward to all sanctioning bodies, promoters and fighters,” Sulaiman added.
“It has to be something we all agree on.”
