Legendary promoter Bob Arum has confirmed that the rumoured undisputed heavyweight title fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk is expected to get over the line.
He also added that the fight is not nailed on to be in the Middle East, and could in fact happen at Wembley Stadium.
91-year-old Arum is a true veteran of the sport, having promoted Muhammad Ali in the sixties and still being in the game today.
Now, he co-promotes WBC champion Fury alongside Frank Warren, and is set to help ‘The Gypsy King’ make history with an attempt to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the four-belt era.
In an interview with Sky Sports, Arum explained that the fight will happen early next year and that a deal is almost finalised, except for the date and location:
“They want the fight. Both of them want the fight and so there’ll be very little, if any, [messing] around. So we’ll be able to make that happen. I’m very, very confident. As I said the fighters have both agreed to fight each other next without any interim fights.”
“Now the question is what’s the date and what’s the site,”
“But that fight is definitely going to happen and it will happen in the first four months of next year.”
Most boxing fans assumed that the fight was destined for the Middle East where the fighters would earn the most money, however Arum claims that London is still in contention.
“We are balancing a couple of significant offers from the Mid East and also there’s the possibility of doing the fight in the UK at Wembley [stadium] with a massive 95,000 crowd in attendance.
“Fighters have a relatively short life and money is important. So if the money which has been proposed to us is real that has to be taken into consideration.”
“To go back to Wembley and do a fight before 95,000 people for me really stirs up the blood.”
“It would be crazy. It would just be wonderful.”
An undisputed heavyweight title fight at Wembley Stadium is the stuff of dreams for British boxing fans, however the purses on offer from the Middle East will be hard to turn down – especially given team Usyk have a say in the final decision and don’t have the emotional connection the the UK that Fury’s side might.