Cracks are beginning to show in what was once looked upon as the perfect negotiation between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.
Fans were told that nothing stood in the way of the four-belt heavyweight clash, with Saudi Arabia the preferred host nation for the first period of talks.
When that was taken of the table recently, Wembley Stadium emerged as the frontrunner with Fury’s team pencilling in April 29 as the date.
Whilst that’s good news for UK fans, the development brings with it a fresh set of negotiations as the oil-rich purses of the Middle East are no longer available. It’s believed that Fury’s side find a half and half split unacceptable.
An animated John Fury, father to Tyson, set out their terms to ID Boxing News.
“Treat Tyson as the great champion he is. Stop trying to be the A side. Usyk is not Tyson’s equal. Fall in line, you’ll get the fight done. Do not respect Tyson, you will not get the fight.
Tyson’s the A side, Usyk’s not worthy of 50/50. He couldn’t sell the O2 [Arena] out. So fall in line and you might get the fight.”
Some fans believe that since Usyk brings three belts to the table to Fury’s one, a 50/50 split is acceptable.
Given the fact that it’s a legacy-defining fight that hasn’t been an option for two decades, others may feel that both teams should do what they can do make it happen.
But, John Fury was clear, and we may be seeing the downfall of the biggest fight in the sport play out in realtime. With news from Usyk’s team that no contract has been received, things aren’t looking good.