Home Columns Late hope for Fury-Usyk despite reports of fight collapse

Late hope for Fury-Usyk despite reports of fight collapse

Fury-Usyk talks appear to break down for April 29

Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk's undisputed heavyweight title fight appears to be off Photo Credit: Mikey Williams/Top Rank via Getty Images/Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing
Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk's undisputed heavyweight title fight appears to be off Photo Credit: Mikey Williams/Top Rank via Getty Images/Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing

Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are facing a dash to save their undisputed heavyweight title fight for April 29 at Wembley Stadium.

Journalist Steve Kim was first to report on Tuesday that talks had broken down for Fury and Usyk to meet in one of the biggest fights that boxing can deliver, having spoken with the latter’s manager Egis Klimas, who is reportedly exploring other options.

“No matter how much Usyk compromised, he was pushed for more,” Klimas told Kim.

However, hope is not completely lost to save a showdown which has been discussed for months, with Fury’s co-promoter, Frank Warren scrambling to find a solution within the next 24 hours, according to SunSport.

WBC champion, Fury publicly demanded 70% of the overall purse split in his favour, for which Usyk, who holds the WBA ‘super’, WBO and IBF belts agreed to on the condition that ‘The Gypsy King’ donates £1m to Ukraine to help against the ongoing invasion from Russia.

Usyk publicly accepted Fury's financial terms Photo Credit: Photo Credit: Queensberry Promotions/Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing
Usyk publicly accepted Fury’s financial terms Photo Credit: Photo Credit: Queensberry Promotions/Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing

The 34-year-old also urged his rival to agree to a winner takes all deal without a rematch clause in the contract.

Fury even posted a photo with trainer SugarHill Steward who arrived in Morecambe to start preparation for the 36-year-old southpaw.

According to ESPN, the pair could not agree on “other material terms critical to the deal beyond the split.”

“If I start telling you the things he wanted, 15 minutes is not enough,” Usyk’s promoter Alex Krassyuk told talkSPORT on Wednesday.

“There was a list of things he wanted which were absolutely unacceptable, complete disrespect to the unified and former undisputed champion.”

Warren has denied that the fight is dead in the water and insists that Fury has agreed to accept a rematch clause deal which mirrors what Usyk received when he face Anthony Joshua in his last fight in August, after dethroning him of his belts 11 months earlier.

The WBA set an April 1 deadline for the heavyweight champions to sign on the dotted line, with the governing body set to order Usyk to fight WBA ‘regular’ champion, Daniel Dubois if a deal with Fury fails to materialise.

Frank Warren is reportedly trying to resurrect a deal Photo Credit: Queensberry Promotions
Frank Warren is reportedly trying to resurrect a deal Photo Credit: Queensberry Promotions

Usyk confronted his British rival from ringside following his third victory over Derek Chisora in December at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Should a last-minute deal come to fruition, Fury and Usyk will get the chance to crown first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis and the first in the four-belt era.

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