Eddie Hearn has claimed that Tyson Fury would rather not fight Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world.
The two men are unbeaten in their campaigns and have impressed boxing fans throughout.
Usyk, a former four-belt cruiserweight champion – has moved up to the sport’s top division and beaten Anthony Joshua twice to become unified champion.
Fury, a bonafide heavyweight giant of a man, was previously world champ by beating Wladimir Klitschko. After a long lay off he returned to the sport to dethrone Deontay Wilder and take the WBC belt back to Britain.
That left the two men on a collision course to crown the first sole heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis.
Speaking to IFL TV, promoter Eddie Hearn said that the only way Fury would fight Usyk is when the price was right.
“If the money’s right, it will happen. It’s just how it is. Because some people will want those fights, and some people won’t want those fights. But always, everyone has a price.
Tyson Fury does not want to fight Usyk. But, for a price, he will fight Usyk.”
Fury and Usyk’s fight negotiations did indeed stumble, and ultimately fall, for financial reasons.
The two champions looked set to fight early this year, but talks turned public when it was reported Saudi Arabia couldn’t play host. This led to a discussion about purse splits for a Wembley Stadium fight.
Fury took to social media to demand his Ukrainian opponent accept just 30% of the financial split. To the surprise of many, considering he holds three belts to Fury’s one, Usyk accepted.
That wasn’t the end of it though, with a rematch clause and what it would reward the winner the next sticking point. Although Usyk said he stepped away because he felt he was being disrespected in many ways, there has been a strong focus on the purse split for a second fight being the final straw.
The pair are said to be open to revisiting talks should they both hold onto their titles and the Middle East is interested in staging the fight later on in the year. That would pay handsomely.