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Oleksandr Usyk already has next opponent lined up with Tyson Fury demanding ‘too much money’ as unification faces axe


OLEKSANDR USYK already has an alternative opponent lined up with his title unification against Tyson Fury facing collapse.

The pair of unbeaten champions have been locked in negotiations for the first ever four-belt undisputed heavyweight fight.

Tyson Fury’s fight with Oleksandr Usyk faces collapseCredit: REUTERS

But their purses took a massive hit when the mega-rich Saudi Arabian hosts pulled out of talks, leaving Wembley as frontrunner for the bout.

Taking the fight from the Middle East to London would see the pot shrink dramatically and leave the two needing to renegotiate terms.

And according to Usyk’s promoter Alex Krassyuk, Fury is demanding “too much money” leaving the deal hanging by a thread.

The Ukrainian could now instead be forced to face WBA mandatory challenger and “regular” champion Daniel Dubois, 25.

Krassyuk told iD Boxing: “This is actually what’s next for Usyk. So what can I say? We have to comply with it.

“It’s probably not the worst fight for the UK. Dubois is English.Usyk fought a couple times here, so he’s probably a bit known.

“This is a fight where an Englishman is fighting for three belts at heavyweight. It’s a bit more than just a normal heavyweight fight.

“Because Usyk and Tyson and all this stuff occurred, that’s why it doesn’t look that big because we have something to compare with. On the other hand, it’s still huge.”

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Fury, 34, and Usyk, 36, were heading towards an April 29 unification bout at Wembley’s 90,000-plus stadium.

But Krassyuk claimed their opposition is asking for inconceivable sums which looks to KO the fight before it even gets started.

He said: “I can tell you only the words that I hear from my negotiators, my partners, Frank and George Warren.

“According to their reports Tyson Fury was asking for too much money. Even if Usyk would get zero for the fight, it would still not be sufficient for Tyson to cover what he wants.

“That’s actually the point. Normally, when the fighter doesn’t want the fight, he asks for something impossible and then it’s not happening.

“That’s according to my experience. I’ve been in boxing for a while, almost 20 years, and that’s what I’ve seen so many times.”

Daniel Dubois could be next in line for Oleksandr UsykCredit: Jamie McPhilimey


Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk


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