Presenter Laura Woods has been forced to pull out hosting duties for the Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk bout after a freak accident left her with nasty injuries.
The popular TNT Sports and DAZN presenter was noticeably missing from the big weigh-in on Friday (May 17), and later that evening, she took to social media to share the grisly details of her ordeal.
In an emotional post, Laura explained: “Just wanted to explain my absence from the telly for a little while, to be totally transparent and avoid any speculation.”
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(Image: laurawoodsy/Instagram)
Detailing the shocking incident, she continued: “I had an accident last weekend at a holiday cottage. I swung a pillow and hit a large, glass lampshade hanging from the ceiling above me, which shattered and cut my face and arms, but luckily missed my eye.”
Laura didn’t hold back on her gratitude, adding: “I wanted to say a couple of thank yous, firstly to Adam, for being my hero that day, acting so quickly and not leaving my side since and to his family for taking care of me in a time when I was petrified.”, reports the Mirror.
She also gave a shout-out to her support team: “To my agents Alex Maguire and Matthew Odonohue at CAA who searched for the best help immediately. To Dr Yannis Alexandrides and his wonderful medical assistant Zuzanna at 111 who opened their emergency surgery and came in on their days off, they were so gentle and have already worked magic that I didn’t think was possible to reduce the damage.”
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Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are set to lock horns in a huge clash this month with each fighter attempting to etch their names in boxing history as the first undisputed heavyweight champion since 1999. The stakes couldn’t be higher as the pair will go head to head for the prestigious WBC, WBA, WBO, and IBF titles.
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To give her followers a glimpse into her recovery journey, she concluded: “I’ve added in the photos from then to now to show that even though it may look rough, it’s such a wonderful improvement already and I’m so grateful.”
“It was a hell of a shock and I’ve been a bit sad, but I’m feeling very lucky it wasn’t worse. So a big thanks to my eyebrow too, for taking the brunt of it.”
“I’m gutted I can’t cover the fight in Riyadh tomorrow anymore, but wishing the brilliant TNT boxing team all the best. Be back soon xx”.
(Image: laurawoodsy/Instagram)
Fury is set to face Usyk in an undisputed clash that will unify the heavyweight division. Both fighters are undefeated and will risk their records in Saudi Arabia.
The showdown is scheduled for Saturday night (May 18) after the two men squared off. Fury pushed Usyk in the chest before they were separated by security at the weigh-in for the super-fight.
“I’m going to knock him right out,” Fury declared, using a number of expletives. I’m coming for his heart. He’s getting it tomorrow, spark out. They [his team] can all get it if they want it.”
(Image: Getty Images)
Fury tipped the scales at 277lb for his controversial bout against former UFC champion Francis Ngannou last October and was 15lb lighter on the scale ahead of his mega-fight against Usyk.
“I’ve been in good shape, I’ve had two or three camps back to back. People say to me all the time ‘You’re looking skinny’ but I’m weighing the exact same on the scales I’ve been using for the last 10 years,” he said.
It remains to be seen whether Woods will be present to host TNT Sports’ coverage of the Champions League Final at the beginning of next month.