Fury vs Usyk
Tyson Fury’s US promoter, Bob Arum, has revealed that negotiations over a potential meeting between Fury and Oleksandr Usyk have resumed. The highly anticipated bout could take place in Saudi Arabia as part of a tournament also featuring Anthony Joshua, with the aim of unifying the world heavyweight titles.
Talks between the WBC champion Fury and Usyk, who currently holds the WBA, WBO, and IBF titles, broke down in March due to a disagreement over how the purse would be split. However, Arum has now confirmed that discussions are back on the table.
Despite this, Arum has claimed this week that Fury is likely to face Zhilei Zhang at Wembley in July following the Chinese fighter’s victory over Joe Joyce last month, despite Joyce having activated a rematch clause on Tuesday. This could potentially delay the Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk fight.
Fury has previously dismissed suggestions that he could take part in a four-man tournament in Saudi Arabia that would also involve former world champion Joshua taking on American Deontay Wilder, with the winners potentially facing each other at a later date. “I can confirm that these rumours are absolute bullshit,” he said.
However, Joshua admitted last month that there “might be some truth” in reports he could face Wilder as part of the tournament. “Have you ever heard of anything like that before? Two heavyweight clashes on the same night,” he said. “The rumours that are circulating, there might be some truth behind it.”
Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, said on Thursday that he had yet to receive any offers from Saudi Arabia but had already indicated the former world champion’s willingness to take part. “Everything that has been reported in terms of what they want to do is true,” Hearn told IFL TV. “Long way to go, no official offers made but we expect that offer to be incoming. I guess they will talk to the other interested parties and see if they can make it happen. If they can’t make both fights happen, I believe they would be happy to proceed with AJ against Wilder. But it seems their intention is to do both fights on the same night.”
Meanwhile, Usyk is expected to defend his WBA, IBF, and WBO titles against Britain’s Daniel Dubois, who holds the WBA regular belt and is a mandatory challenger.
It remains to be seen whether the tournament featuring Fury, Usyk, Joshua, and Wilder will become a reality, but the possibility has certainly generated a lot of buzz. The prospect of two heavyweight clashes on the same night is an exciting one for boxing fans, and the potential for a unification bout between Fury and Usyk is equally tantalizing.
The tournament could also prove to be a lucrative opportunity for the fighters involved, with Saudi Arabia known for offering large purses to attract top talent to their country. With negotiations still ongoing, it will be interesting to see how everything unfolds in the coming months.
