The title unification fight planned for April between the two heavyweight boxing world champions Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury has apparently burst. “The fight has been canceled,” Usyk’s promoter Alexander Krasjuk confirmed to British radio station Talksport: “The reason is that it went too far.”
What was meant was the behavior of Fury, who is said to have made new demands despite a fundamental agreement. “We felt that after Usyk accepted the 70-30 offer, Tyson Fury started to believe that he could put a saddle around his neck and start riding Usyk as hard as possible,” Krassyuk said. That is not right.”
The Ukrainian Usyk had accepted for the mega fight to be involved in the division of the fight exchange with only 30 percent. When asked what additional wishes the Brit had made to Fury, Krassyuk replied: “If I started to tell you the things he wanted, 15 minutes would not be enough.” There are said to have been opposing views, especially on the rematch clause.
If the contract had been signed, the fight should have taken place on April 29 at Wembley Stadium in London, as various media had reported unanimously. The 36-year-old Usyk is world champion in the IBF, WBA and WBO associations, while Fury, who is two years his junior, holds the WBC title. The winner of a unification fight should have called himself the undisputed champion. The Brit Lennox Lewis was the last heavyweight to do so more than 20 years ago.
Even before his last fight against Chisora, Fury, who earned a total purse of around 150 million euros with his 33 fights, said he could set the rules: “I’m the only man who can beat me. The way I master the heavyweight division, I can do whatever I want.”