Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are reaching an agreement for an undisputed heavyweight championship fight, planned for April 29 at London’s Wembley Stadium, after both sides notified the WBA that they have agreed to terms, the man said. president Gilberto Mendoza to ESPN on Friday.
Mendoza said he has received confirmation from both fighters’ promoters that a tentative deal is in place before the WBA deadline at 5 pm ET for Usyk to defend his title against mandatory challenger Daniel Dubois. Dubois holds the WBA “regular” title, but the organization continues to consolidate belts.
Fury, in an Instagram video posted on Friday, asked Ukrainian Usyk to accept 30% of the English 70% cut for one of the biggest fights boxing can offer. Fury holds the WBC title and is ESPN’s No. 1 heavyweight (No. 7 pound-for-pound); Usyk holds the WBA, WBO and IBF belts and is ESPN’s No. 2 heavyweight (No. 3 pound-for-pound).
As part of the deal, Usyk asked Fury to donate $1 million towards relief efforts in Ukraine as the country continues to fend off invasion from Russia. The fight, upon completion, will be offered on ESPN pay-per-view in the US, the sources said.
“They want 50%, Usyk and all this ‘Tyson is being greedy,'” Fury said in the Instagram video. “From my point of view, Usyk, you and your team are worth 30. Take it or leave it. And if you don’t want it, go fight Daniel Dubois in the Copper Box (London Arena) and get some million dollars .
“If you want to make real money, come and fight The Gypsy King… I’ll say, for every day from today that you delay, you’ll waste your time, I’m going to deduct 1% from 30%… Sign the contract, get your money and shut up… Tick tock.”
Fury (33-0-1, 24 KOs) kept busy in December with a 10th-round TKO of Derek Chisora to retain his heavyweight title. After Fury stopped Dillian Whyte in six rounds last April, he announced his retirement, but it lasted only four months.
Fury, 34, defeated another Ukrainian, Wladimir Klitschko, to win the unified heavyweight championship in 2015. He was out of the ring for nearly three years while dealing with alcohol and substance abuse in addition to depression. During that hiatus, he gained 400 pounds.
Fury returned to the ring with two wins over soft opposition before surviving two knockdowns against Deontay Wilder to settle for a draw in a fight most observers believed he had won. Fury left no doubt in the rematch, a seventh-round TKO to win the WBC title. The trilogy fight, which Fury won by 11th-round knockout, was named ESPN’s Fight of the Year and Knockout of the Year for 2021.
“Hey greedy belly, I accept your offer, 70/30 split to fight on April 29 at Wembley,” Usyk wrote on Instagram. “But you will promise to donate £1 million to Ukraine immediately after the fight. And for every day you’re late, you’ll pay 1% of your purse to the Ukrainian people. Done deal?”
Usyk (20-0, 13 KOs) won the undisputed cruiserweight championship with a unanimous decision victory over Murat Gassiev in 2018 before moving up to heavyweight in 2019. The Olympic gold medalist defeated Chisora in their second fight. heavyweight before signing a fight with Anthony Joshua for three heavyweight titles.
The 36-year-old Usyk defeated Joshua via unanimous decision in September 2021 and retained his unified championship with a split decision win in the August rematch. The southpaw is one of the most skilled boxers in the world but he also showed his power against Joshua; he appeared about to stop AJ in the last round of the first fight.
Now Fury and Usyk are on the verge of the biggest challenges of their storied careers, a matchup that is poised to crown boxing’s first undisputed heavyweight champion of the four-belt era.
