The fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk is still yet to be announced despite a willingness from both fighters and assurances from the promotion that there are no roadblocks.
If the pair do meet in the ring, it will be for all four major heavyweight titles, crowning an undisputed champion for the first time in two decades. Fury brings the WBX strap to the table, Usyk the WBA, WBO and IBF. It is one of, if not the, most significant fights to be made in the sport today.
Despite no broadcast disputes, or promotional rivalries, talks seemed to have stalled in recent weeks. Originally targeted for February, the latest update from Frank Warren, Fury’s UK promoter, was that the fight would go ahead on April 29.
The final piece of the puzzle was the location and the purses for the fighters. If Saudi Arabia was the answer to the first question, the money would sort itself.
However, ESPN’s Mike Coppinger is now reporting that the Middle East may be off the table, and the powers that be are targeting Wembley Stadium. The money now becomes the main sticking point.
Coppinger said that the fight was ‘not all that close, unfortunately’ and that it was ‘highly unlikely’ now to land in Saudi. He highlighted the issue with the UK playing host as generating enough revenue to satisfy both fighters – something that will be tricky once they’ve seen the money that was previously going to be available.
If the Wembley reports pleas Fury’s home fans, they’ll still be eager to hear of a signed contract. In his most recent interview, he claimed to have not seen any offer for the fight and that everything else was ‘all talk.’