A heavyweight undisputed fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk is one of, if not the, most significant contests to be made in boxing right now. Despite that, things are moving slowly.
After Fury successfully defended his WBC title against Derek Chisora in December of last year, eyes turned to the WBA, IBF and WBO champion, Usyk.
A proposed fight in February was quickly proven to be unrealistic, and the latest update from Frank Warren, Fury’s UK promoter, was that April 29 would be the date.
Despite that, a location – said to be either Saudi Arabia or the UK – still hasn’t been announced, and fans are growing impatient.
Fury spoke on Beyond Radio about the negotiations, he began with a bleak update.
“The talks for the fight with Usyk are still going. All talk and no deliverance.”
‘The Gypsy King’ went on to say that he hasn’t been keeping on top of the reports and updates, claiming that he doesn’t check social media or liaise with the promoters due to a fear of triggering mental health issues.
“I actually have not been on social media since October last year. I deleted the apps and won’t be returning. I like my battery life too much.
“I think (for) all the information that you need to know about the Usyk or any other boxing fights, you’ve got to speak to the promoters. I made a vow not to get involved any more because one, it causes me stress, and two it causes me anxiety and depression.”
“It should be a rewarding thing, to get a big fight, you should feel good about it. But with all the talks back and forward…it just goes on and on and on, and for someone with severe mental health issues, I don’t think it’s wise for me to get involved with this back and forth.”
If he’s unsure what’s happening with the fight, he has no doubt on the outcome. Fury ended the interview with his trademark confidence.
“I don’t know anything about it right now. We shall see. But as of today, I’ve not even had an offer from anybody, to do a fight. I’ve been undefeated for 14 years. I can beat any man, there’s no doubt about that. They can’t defeat me in a boxing ring, for sure.”
Fans will hope that this backwards update will prompt the promoters to provide something more positive.