It appears that Tyson Fury has informed the WBC that he will continue his boxing career.
Mauricio Sulaiman, the president of the organisation, issued the 34-year-old with an ultimatum in the aftermath of his announcing his retirement two weeks ago and subsequently ditching the Ring Magazine title.
Sky Sports is now reporting that Fury “has instructed his promoters to inform the WBC that he intends to continue fighting, Sky Sports understands”.
Oleksandr Usyk, the Ukrainian former cruiserweight undisputed champion (20-0, 13 KOs) who has his sights set on an all-the-marbles showdown with Fury, retained his WBA Super, IBF, IBO and WBO heavyweight titles in a split decision rematch win over Anthony Joshua last weekend.
Fury, who was quick to respond to the challenge of Usyk and has vowed to relieve the ‘dosser’, 35, of the belts, has instructed his promotional team to inform the WBC that he intends to resume his boxing career, despite being given an extension on the decision deadline following the murder of his cousin Rico Burton.
The fight for the undisputed status in the sport’s premier division is currently under discussion, with Fury’s UK promoter Frank Warren revealing the purse split at 50-50 while giving the clearest indication yet of the fight’s potential location.
Bob Arum, the Top Rank head honcho who looks after ‘The Gypsy King’s’ Stateside affairs, stated that the fight between Fury and Usyk, which the former has demanded £500million for, is “the biggest since Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier.”
Saudi Arabia would be an obvious choice to host the fight which would crown the first undisputed heavyweight world champion since Lennox Lewis in 1999, however, even the oil-rich country will struggle to meet Fury’s exorbitant demands.
The Daily Mail reported that December 17 is in play as the date for a mouthwatering outdoor clash in the Saudi capital of Riyadh, on the night before the FIFA World Cup final in neighbouring Qatar.