Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are the two kings of the heavyweight division, a fight between them worth four belts, legacy and plenty of cash.
It seemed nailed on earlier this year, with those involved ensuring fans that there were no barriers in the way of a February fight. That turned to April, and then turned to nothing at all when Usyk’s team walked away because of what they called unfair and unjust treatment.
One of the most frustrating aspects was that the biggest obstacle in the sport – money and purse splits – had been agree. The Ukrainian accepted 30% of the money, giving Fury the lion’s share.
Even that wasn’t enough to get it on, and now both men are set to fight separately before hopefully re-entering negotiations later in the year.
Fury is still hurt by Usyk’s decision to move on, and took to Instagram recently to insult him once more.
Responding to a topic of discussion on what the unified champion from Ukraine is set to earn in his mandatory defence against Daniel Dubois – around $6 million – Fury revealed that the undisputed fight would’ve saw him earn more than double.
“Fact is he is a b**ch ass p**sy boy. Ran from 13 million pounds and now taking 6 million dollars. Joker.”
If the figures are to believed, it would mean that Fury’s 70% was sitting at over £30 million – more than he earned for a record purse bid against Dillian Whyte last year.
That not unsubstantial amount for Usyk is said to be a good bit lower than what he walked away with after his rematch against Anthony Joshua last year.
Both men are expected to be compensated extremely well if they accept an approach from Saudi Arabia to stage their fight in December, however Fury has said Wembley or nothing. Whether or not he sticks to that remains to be seen.