Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk at risk of collapsing with three opponents in line to fight Gypsy King
TYSON FURY vs Oleksandr Usyk for the heavyweight undisputed decider is in danger because of the Gypsy King’s money demands.
Saudi Arabia were willing to pay both men silly money to decide the finest heavyweight on earth – but were insistent on a 50-50 split.
GettyTyson Fury’s heavyweight unification bout against Oleksandr Usyk is in jeopardy[/caption]
ReutersIt comes due to Fury’s money demands[/caption]
Usyk, the 36-year-old Ukraine icon who won Olympic gold before cleaning out the cruiserweight division before moving up to defeat Anthony Joshua twice for the WBA, IBF and WBO belts, signed his side of the contract.
But WBC belt holder Fury was unhappy with having to split the huge pot equally and backed away from the deal.
The 34-year-old Brit can now command a bigger split of a smaller purse – of a Wembley showdown that is targeted for April 29 as the local fighter attracting most of the crowd.
But the longer the negotiations drag on – having started in August – the more fans fear the undisputed decider will collapse and Fury will defend against another challenger.
Usyk will also soon have a string of mandatory challenges to juggle as the holder of three belts.
And dad John – out in Riyadh with his world champ son to support sibling Tommy in his bout with Jake Paul – has confirmed it’s all coming down to cash.
He told IDBoxing: “Treat Tyson as the great champion he is. Usyk is not Tyson’s equal.
“Fall in line and you’ll get the fight done.
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“Do not respect Tyson and you won’t get the fight.
“Tyson’s A-side and Usyk is not worthy of 50/50, he couldn’t sell the O2 Arena out.”
If the fight collapses, Fury could face one of three potential opponents.
The first of these is Deontay Wilder, who is the number one ranked WBC boxer.
The pair have already fought three times, with Fury winning twice after their initial draw.
Next is Andy Ruiz Jr, the Mexican-American who stunned Joshua in New York, who is the rank below Wilder.
The final option on the table is Brit Joe Joyce, who would be the easiest fight to make due to him being promoted by Frank Warren.
