Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk’s proposed undisputed heavyweight title fight has been pushed back yet again.
The undisputed fight was initially set for February of this year, but a breakdown in negotiations despite previous assurances to fans that it would go ahead set it back.
Despite bitterness in the aftermath, both camps have since confirmed that they will field offers from the Middle East to stage the bout in the future.
The well-documented plan was to have Fury-Usyk as a headliner in December, with talks ongoing to stage Anthony Joshua versus Deontay Wilder on the same night.
However ambitious or unlikely, fans have been fed talk of this ‘tournament’ at the end of the year as a way to placate feelings of frustration towards a largely inactive division.
Frank Warren has now informed TalkSPORT that the fight will not be going ahead in December, and that Skill Challenge Entertainment may postpone its bumper heavyweight plans until January.
With no December bout on the cards, that leaves the WBC Champion looking at a one-fight year, as long as his recent announcement of ‘show-stopping’ news is to come good.
It means the same for Usyk, who is scheduled but not officially announced to be fighting Daniel Dubois on August 26 as his WBA mandatory challenger. The WBO and IBF have fights lined up for the Ukrainian as well, but it’s assumed the four-belt clash with Fury will be put first.
It’s unclear as to whether or not the promotion will look to move Joshua-Wilder or deliver that as a standalone event. Like the undisputed bout, it depends on what both fighters do in the interim, with ‘AJ’ deep in talks to face Dillian Whyte and Wilder angling to get Andy Ruiz Jr in the ring.