TYSON FURY’S undisputed heavyweight world title decider with Oleksandr Usyk is DONE for December 23 in Saudi Arabia.
The titanic showdown between England’s 35-year-old WBC champion and Ukraine’s 36-year-old WBA, IBF and WBO boss will happen in Riyadh just 48 hours before Christmas.
Queensbury Promotions, who represent Fury, have confirmed a deal has been signed for the fight to take place in Riyadh.
Usyk’s promoter Alex Krassyuk also confirmed the news, saying: “I can’t believe that it’s happening but it is. Respect to Tyson for his courage.”
Saudi minister Turki Alalsikh announced the news saying: “Fury vs Usyk signed.
“Epic battle to take place as part of Riyadh season.”
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It will be the first undisputed heavyweight clash in 24 years – since Lennox Lewis fought Evander Holyfield in November 1999.
And it will go head-to-head with the controversial second-generation grudge bout promoter Eddie Hearn is trying to make between Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn.
The Gypsy King fights MMA giant Francis Ngannou in the same city on October 28, in an exhibition bonanza that is set to be attended by some of the biggest showbiz names on the planet.
And that mega-money deal has greased the wheels for the undefeated Morecambe showman to face the former undisputed cruiserweight champ and London 2012 golden boy in the kingdom.
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Fury follows Cristiano Ronaldo, Jordan Henderson and Steven Gerrard in setting up camp in the oil-drenched desert and he told SunSport it is the biggest boxing deal in HISTORY that even makes the boxing billions look like chump change.
“All the biggest and best sports stars are now Saudi Arabia-bound,” he said. “The country is making big moves in sport and everything else.
“They are taking over boxing and any other sport that they want.
“They are paying big money for everything they get involved with.
“I believe I have just done the biggest boxing deal in the history of boxing.
“I am not at liberty to talk about numbers.
“But it’s the biggest boxing deal ever done in history.
“The big football deals with Ronaldo and Neymar, it blows them out of the water.
“It’s big, big, big.
“After all, I am not a prizefighter for brass buttons!”
Fury and Usyk were due to throw down in a Wembley war in April – four months after their tasty Tottenham face-off.
But their mouthwatering showdown collapsed after Fury’s constant moving of the goalposts during very public negotiations.
Fury first put the bout in jeopardy by demanding no rematch clause be placed in their lucrative contract.
Undefeated Ukrainian Usyk relented in a desperate bid to solidify his status as an all-time great and become the boxing’s first two-weight undisputed champion – a title Terence Crawford claimed in August.
Fury then demanded he be given the lion’s share of the purse, insisting on a 70-30 split in his favour.
Usyk agreed to the split but eventually walked away from the deal as Fury continued to try and change the proposed terms.
Fury’s decision to fight Usyk a mere EIGHT WEEKS after his clash with former UFC heavyweight king Ngannou comes as a surprise as he’s repeatedly shot down the prospect in recent weeks.
He said recently: “I am not interested in fighting Usyk, he’s a little Ukrainian dosser.
“That’s all he is to me. No interest in unifying the division. It doesn’t mean s*** to me.
“All that stuff about unifying and whatever, it really doesn’t mean anything to me.
“I am looking for the biggest payday. Most of the time, Usyk doesn’t cut it.
“He’s just a foreign person who doesn’t speak good English, so you can’t really sell him.
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“I am looking for probably another American.
“Probably looking to fight Jon Jones in a boxing fight.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
