Tyson Fury is disrespecting fans by not delivering them an undisputed heavyweight fight with Oleksandr Usyk – that’s according to the Ukrainian’s promoter.
Official talks for the legacy-defining bout have been ongoing since December of 2022 for the WBC Champion, Fury, to face Usyk, who holds the IBF, WBA and WBO titles.
Despite no promotional or broadcast disputes, information from the negotiation table has been increasingly negative in recent weeks, and it’s believed that financial demands will see the fight go begging.
In an interview with iD Boxing News, Krassyuk said that Fury was in a position to negotiate high purses because of the fans.
“The worst thing about all this – he’s very famous, he’s a big star. And he’s so high only because of fans. All the followers. People who supported him, who are backing him in his fights. Who clicked follow on Instagram.
It means that the only reasons he’s so famous is because these people exist. And there is a point, one day, when you have to pay off to your fans. And, if you don’t do that, you’re gonna sink into oblivion. You don’t respect your fans. You don’t do the things that you have to do.”
The promoter continued, branding Fury asking for too much money – the reason he gives for the breakdown in talks – as disrespect.
“They love you because you are a great fighter, you are a big entertainer, okay, but what about sports? You’re not a Hollywood star yet. At this point you’re still a fighter, you have to fight and you have to prove that your are the best if you claim yourself to be the best. Boxing fans throughout the world want to see the biggest fight.
They want to know who is the strongest heavyweight at this moment, and who is the first to become the undisputed in four-belt era. So it’s disrespectful to treat boxing fans like that. That’s what I think.”
Whilst official confirmation is yet to arrive as to the status of the four-belt fight, updates like this one – and plenty others from both sides – point towards failure. Word is expected in the coming days.