Usik's team urged Fury to shave off his beard before the fight

Alexander Krasiuk, the promoter of Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usik, demanded on December 20 that British fighter Tyson Fury shave off his beard before the fight.

"We all have to follow the rules, don't we?" - he wrote on Instagram (owned by Meta Corporation, which is recognized as extremist and banned in Russia), addressing the president of the World Boxing Association (WBC) Mauricio Sulaiman.

Krasiuk attached to the publication a photo of the WBC regulations, which states that the beard is allowed if its length and density does not affect the strength or accuracy of punches and does not injure the opponent, adds "Sport-Express". Representatives of Usik said that their opponent violates this requirement, and they insist that he shave off the beard.

Earlier, December 19, it was reported that the fight between Ukrainian Alexander Usik and British Tyson Fury for the first time in history will follow the referee with artificial intelligence. The rematch between the two athletes will take place on December 21 at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia.

Before that, on May 19, Usik won the title of absolute world champion in heavyweight, defeating Fury. The bout lasted all 12 rounds of three minutes each. For 35-year-old Fury, the defeat in this fight was the first in his career.