Carl Froch has made his opinions clear regarding the collapse of the Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk fight.
Fury looked set to take on Usyk in a clash to crown the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis in 2000.
Once Usyk accepted a 30% ‘take it or leave it’ offer from the WBC champion an announcement seemed imminent – and it was, just not the one fans were hoping for.
Instead negotiations fell apart over the rematch financials, with the Ukrainian wanting the winner to take 70% but team Fury only offering him 50%.
Froch, a former super-middleweight world champion, believes Fury was ‘shocked’ when Usyk accepted his offer and proceeded to price himself out of the fight.
Speaking on his ‘Froch on Fighting’ YouTube channel, ‘The Cobra’ said:
“I think the main reason he asked for 70/30 was to just price himself out of it. It’s a good way to get out of a fight, ‘I want 70%, I don’t think for one minute Usyk takes it’.
I think when Usyk took it he was shocked and then he thought I haven’t got enough time, just 6 weeks to get in shape and perform against this top fighter. So I think that was a ducking job.
I think he will fight him, so he’s not ducking him as in he’s got no intentions of ever fighting him, but I think the fight didn’t happen because Fury didn’t want to fight him just yet.”
Frank Warren, Fury’s UK promoter, has said talk and negotiations over social media ‘killed the fight’.
Whether the bout will be arranged in the future remains to be seen, and although we’re none the wiser as to who ‘The Gypsy King’ might face next, it looks like Usyk will start fulfilling his mandatories, with Daniel Dubois first up.