Tyson Fury’s US promoter, Bob Arum, has cast doubt on his man’s summertime fight, revealed that the general feeling as it stands is to wait for a four-belt clash with Oleksandr Usyk.
Fury and Usyk were in deep talks to stage the fight in the first quarter of the year, however things fell apart and both moved on with renewed bad blood but no promise of a scrap.
It’s been reported that Saudi Arabia are keen to have a crack at staging the legacy-fight at the end of this year, leaving the heavyweights looking to keep busy in the interim.
Both Andy Ruiz Jr and and Zhilei Zhang were mentioned as potentials to fill the opposite corner against Fury, but reports say Ruiz has priced himself out whilst Zhang is now tied into a contractual rematch with Joe Joyce.
Given the difficulties to find a dance partner, paired with the promise of an undisputed fight to round off 2023, Arum revealed to ProBox TV that his man was likely to sit out, although admitted that that could change in an instant.
“They’re waiting now, both fighters, for the end of the year, to fight each other in the Middle East, because that’s where the big money is.”
“Right now I think he’s going to wait [to fight], but with Tyson Fury it depends on how he wakes up in the morning.”
Usyk has been ordered to face the WBA’s mandatory challenger, Daniel Dubois, however some disruption in the young Brit’s camp has cast some doubt on whether or not he takes part in the May 25 purse bid.
Should he decide not to, Deontay Wilder is waiting in the wings as the number two ranked contender. The American has been in negotiations to fight Anthony Joshua in Saudi Arabia around the same time – or even on the same night – as Fury faces Usyk.
In short, the heavyweight division is being completely held up on the promise of mega money from the Middle East, and there’s a chance that fans see not one of the top four in the ring before the end of the year.