As hopes of an undisputed heavyweight title fight continue to fade away into the distance, Sam Jones, previous promoter of Joe Joyce, has predicted that Oleksandr Usyk will also not step in the ring with his former fighter.
Tony Bellew on the other hand disagrees with Jones, stating that Usyk would never ‘dodge’ anyone.
Bellew famously fought Usyk for the undisputed cruiserweight crown in the final fight of his career in 2018, where he lost by eighth-round knockout.
Boxing fans were hoping to see the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis, but, as talks drag on, a Fury vs Usyk bout looks more unlikely by the day.
Usyk’s promoter, Alex Krassyuk, has revealed that Fury’s team have turned down the offer of a 60/40 split in favour of the victor as talks continue to stall.
Couple this with recent comments from Frank Warren, who suggested that a decision must be made in the coming days as Fury will be fighting on April 29th with or without Usyk, and things don’t look good.
If the fight fails to materialise, mandatories will be called for Usyk’s belts, one of them being Joyce. Sam Jones took to Twitter to share his doubts that Usyk will want to fight ‘The Juggernaut’, resulting in Joyce being elevated to full world champion.
In response, Bellew stood up for the unified champion and explained that Usyk’s willingness to offer a 60/40 split, when he holds three of the four heavyweight titles shows his desire to fight the best.
Come on Sam Usyk dodges NO ONE! Never has and never will! He’s agreed to a 60/40 split for all the marbles and he holds 3 out of 4 of them marbles! Put some respect on that name at the very least.. travelled the whole world and dealt with everyone on their own patch! #Unicorn ?
— Tony Bellew (@TonyBellew) March 8, 2023
Jones then responded, pointing out that he believes Joyce just simply isn’t in Usyk’s plans.
Your missing what I’m saying Tony. Usyk has stated he’s retiring soon And only wants 1-2 more fights I don’t believe Joe is in his plans !
— Sam Jones (@mrsamjones88) March 8, 2023
Whatever happens in the heavyweight division, movements are expected soon – and it may not be Fury or Joyce next for Usyk, with Daniel Dubois recognised as first in line as the WBA mandatory.
