Oleksandr Usyk’s promoter, Alex Krassyuk, has claimed that Tyson Fury’s money demands are at the heart of the stalemate in the undisputed negotiations.
Usyk and Fury should be fighting to crown one, four-belt champion in the heavyweight division, but progress has stalled and the legacy-defining bout looks more likely than ever to collapse.
Things looked promising when official talks kicked off back in December of 2022, but the Middle East reportedly withdrawing their interest and the huge fighter purses that come with it made the finances complicated.
With Wembley Stadium in Fury’s home country seemingly the best option, it’s clear that the financial reward and split for the champions is now the sticking point.
Krassyuk told Seconds Out that he’s heard Fury’s money demand is so high that it couldn’t be met even if Usyk took the fight for free, and claims that the fight taking place in England is unlikely.
“Regarding the UK, we’ve been working on the date of April 29th, which, according to the reports from Queensberry, cannot meet Tyson’s wants regarding the money he would love to get for it.”
But at the end of the day, it is what it is. It’s not likely to happen in the UK on the conditions that the UK market can generate.”
“What I hear from George Warren and Frank Warren, I can’t say that this is something that’s really happening or not.
I was told that Tyson Fury is asking for the kind of money that even if Usyk receives zero it’s still not gonna be sufficient meet his requirements. I don’t know whether it’s true or not.”
This latest interview comes after Krassyuk revealed that they offered Fury’s side a 60/40 split with the lion’s share going to the winner on the night. It was rejected.
Considering that the UK has long been believed to be the only choice left to stage the fight, things are not looking good. ‘The Gypsy King’s promoter, Frank Warren, said that talks are unlikely to go past this week as the April 29 date looms.