Oleksandr Usyk’s manager, Egis Klimas, has provided a positive update on the talks with Tyson Fury’s team to stage an undisputed heavyweight bout in 2023.
Now that Fury has come through his fight with Derek Chisora unscathed, all eyes turn to the Ukrainian champion and a fight that would crown one man king of the division.
Speaking to TalkSPORT, Klimas confirmed that contract negotiations have continued now that there are seemingly no obstacles in the way.
“We’ve been in negotiations even before the [Chisora] fight, that’s why we showed up to the fight. So, I’ve been speaking with Queensbury promotions before and we spoke to Top Rank [on Thursday] morning on a conference call.
“All of us got together and we are almost done, there is not much left to talk. Two heavyweights, the best in the sport today, undisputed heavyweight championship bout, that is what the fans need.”
Klimas went on to update on the date and the location being discussed.
“Most likely it is going to be no later than March 4 and most likely it will end up in the Middle East. But during today’s conversation I heard other options are coming like maybe London, Qatar. But, most likely we are aiming for Saudi [Arabia] because they are very interested in that fight, Saudi loves Usyk.”
One of the main protests from fans about the sport of boxing is that fighters remain inactive for long stretches of time, so a March 4 date will be welcome news.
Of course, there is plenty still to be confirmed, but given that Fury has said he wants to have one of the most active years of his career, this would certainly be the way to kick it off.
Whilst London has been mentioned on a couple of occasions now, and it would be a huge event for the country, it’s hard to look past the money that the Middle East offers, meaning that’s the option that will likely be pursued over a stadium in the UK.