After months of negotiations, numerous back and forth on social media, and a date set for 29th of April, it seems the Oleksandr Usyk versus Tyson Fury fight is finally dead in the water and boxing fans are furious.
The fight had looked in jeopardy a couple of weeks back as Fury posted on Instagram demanding a massive 70% of the fight earnings, but soon afterwards, Usyk agreed to the ridiculous terms. Now, however, the fight has collapsed completely, and again it seems Fury’s extortionate demands could be to blame.
On Wednesday morning, Usyk’s promoter Alex Krassyuk spoke to talkSPORT as he announced the fight was off.
What has been said about Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk?
“Usyk accepted the 70/30 split. He was so loyal, and he was so willing to make this fight happen. But this fight is not about Tyson Fury. It is about the WBC belt and expanding his collection.
“If it is so complicated that Tyson tries to avoid it by putting so many obstacles in front of making the deal, then there is no need to put more effort into it.”
Krassyuk later added: “If I start telling you the list of things he wanted, 15 minutes would not be enough.”
Fury’s promoter Frank Warren was quick to rebuke the accusations and instead tried to send the blame Usyk’s way, claiming the Ukrainian was trying to avoid the fight.
The major bone of contention for the latest collapse in talks seems to be the fight purse for a potential rematch, of which Fury seemingly wants a similar 70% split regardless of the winner of the first fight.
Anthony Joshua on Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk drama
Anthony Joshua has now weighed in on the debate, and he too accuses Fury’s camp of being very difficult to negotiate with.
The two British heavyweights have been on the verge of facing each other on two separate occasions, but a fight is still yet to materialise.
Hopes for a fight in 2021 were ruined by Fury’s court dispute over a rematch with Deontay Wilder, and in December, Fury offered Joshua a short notice fight but talks never seriously progressed.
Speaking on the Usyk vs Fury negotiations, Joshua shared his side of the story: “Look at all the s*** they are going through now with this Usyk stuff. It’s just crazy.
“I don’t publicise things, so it’s actually good that people are starting to see what goes on in negotiations.
“It’s good that people can actually see the s*** that people have got to put up with to make a fight.
“Me and Usyk got two successful fights done. It’s just crazy.”
With the Usyk vs Fury fight finally seeming dead and buried, it will remain the case that the heavyweight belts have not been unified since 2000 under Lennox Lewis.
The WBA has said it will wait until 1st of April before forcing Usyk to take his mandatory title fight against Daniel Dubois, so the fight is not completely dead given the swings in negotiations to date.
However, this is certainly the least likely the fight has looked, and it’s a massive blow for the world of boxing. Opportunities for a heavyweight fight of such magnitude don’t come around that often.
