Frank Warren Says Oleksandr Usyk vs Tyson Fury Could Still Happen April 29
According to Queensberry Promotions CEO Frank Warren, despite earlier reports that the proposed April 29 heavyweight undisputed showdown between unified champion Oleksandr Usyk (20-0, 13 KOs) and WBC champion Tyson Fury (33-0-1, 24 KOs) is dead in the water, that is not the case.
3kingsboxing.com has provided updates on the ongoing negotiations of this fight. Here’s the latest. Usyk’s manager Alex Krassyuk, announced that the fight was off for April 29. That’s been countered by Fury’s co-promoter, Frank Warren, during an exclusive interview on the talkSPORT Boxing podcast.
ONE FINAL HURDLE TO JUMP
A point of contention has been Fury’s hesitancy about a rematch clause. Warren said Fury is now okay with a rematch clause but is at odds over the percentage split for a possible second fight. Warren says they are willing to accept the same rematch condition that the unified champion received for his second fight with Anthony Joshua. Word on the street is that Usyk received a 50/50 split for that contest.
Warren was joined by Usyk’s promoter Alex Krassyuk. After Krassyuk initially expressed doubts that the fight would happen, he and Warren agreed to continue discussions. Asked about a cut-off date for a deal to get made, Warren said the following:
“I think we’ve probably got about a day, maybe two days, then that’d be about it, and we’re done.”
NO TIME TO WASTE
April 29 is only five weeks away. That leaves little time for a proper promotional tour and for the fighters to prepare themselves. There’s also the issue of the WBA. The sanctioning body gave an April 1 deadline for the fight to get made, or they will order Usyk to face WBA Regular heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois.
While many observers would say there is no way this fight happens on that proposed date, the promoters are still holding on to one flickering hope. Stay tuned to 3kingsboxing.com for the latest developments.
