Oleksandr Usyk’s manager, Egis Klimas, has fired back at Frank Warren’s comments about the commercial value of his fighter compared to Tyson Fury.
‘The Gypsy King’s side has continuously claimed that the unified champion was the one to opt out of their undisputed clash, which would have seen him make a reported £13million, claiming the Ukrainian had one eye on a bigger payday in Saudi Arabia.
Usyk’s team admit they were the ones to pull the plug, but say they did so believing they were never going to get a fair deal.
The Ukrainian will now fight his WBA mandatory challenger, Daniel Dubois, who is also promoted by Frank Warren
Warren’s Queensberry promotions lost the purse bid to Usyk’s team, who valued the fight at just over $8m, and the hall of fame promoter said that alone shows the value gulf between the two top heavyweights.
“If Daniel Dubois was fighting Tyson Fury, and it went to purse bids, it would generate four or five times more money than that purse bid [vs Usyk]. It’s a fact, it would do. That is the value of Tyson, that was the 70/30 that he was talking about, that is what he brings to the table.”
In an interview with Boxing King Media Klimas hit back saying Fury is worth nothing if he cannot agree terms with an opponent.
“As of today, Fury’s worth is nothing. You can’t compare how much Usyk is worth, how much Tyson Fury is worth, Usyk was already worth thirty million before that [proposed fight].
I don’t understand those people when they are talking about who is worth what, Fury, without Usyk, is a nobody.”
Fury continues his search for a summer opponent, with Martin Bakole the latest name to be linked to the WBC champion.