Heavyweight boxing

TYSON FURY and Oleksandr Usyk are closing in on a deal to fight for the undisputed heavyweight crown – but it will NOT be in the UK. The pair of unbeaten champions are ready to put up all four world titles, which would be a first in the blue riband division’s history.
Boxing manager Egis Klimas with Oleksandr Usyk as they prepare for Tyson Fury fightCredit: Instagram / @klimasmanagement
Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are closing in on a fight dealCredit: Getty
Usyk’s manager Egis Klimas confirmed an agreement is nearing the finish line but warned the unification bout is heading for the Middle East.
Klimas told talkSPORT: “All of us got together and we are almost done, there is not much left to talk about.
“Two heavyweights, the best in the sport today, undisputed heavyweight championship bout, that is what the fans need.”
He added: “Most likely it is going to be no later than March 4 and most likely it will end up in the Middle East.”
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Fury, 34, most recently stopped Derek Chisora, 38, in round ten of their trilogy bout, his THIRD win over the veteran Brit.
Usyk, 35, was ringside at Tottenham’s stadium and faced off against the WBC champion.
Talks for their unification took place even before Fury fought Chisora and continued after the title defence.
Usyk has fought in Saudi Arabia before, beating Anthony Joshua, 33, in their rematch in August.
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It leaves Saudi as a frontrunner to host the historic undisputed title decider despite interest from World Cup hosts Qatar and England.
Klimas revealed: “I heard other options are coming like maybe London or Qatar.
“But, most likely we are aiming for Saudi because they are very interested in that fight, Saudi loves Usyk.”
Anthony Joshua was beaten by Oleksandr Usyk in Saudi ArabiaCredit: Getty More

DANIEL DUBOIS is in line to fight Oleksandr Usyk should the Ukrainian’s clash with Tyson Fury fall through.Talks over a blockbuster undisputed heavyweight title fight between Usyk and Gypsy King Fury are currently ongoing and are expected to soon be finalised.
Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury are closing in on an blockbuster undisputed title fightCredit: Getty
The pair are on course to throw down early next yearCredit: REUTERS
But Usyk could end up facing Brit Daniel Dubois if the fight doesn’t come to fruitionCredit: GETTY
The WBA, however, have ordered Usyk face mandatory challenger and regular titleholder Dubois – who the slick southpaw has earmarked as his next opponent should a fight with Fury fail to materialise.
Coach Sergey Lapin told Vegas Insider said: “I think that the WBA ordering Usyk to fight Daniel Dubois will not be a hindrance to the undisputed contest between Usyk and Tyson Fury, the fight we all want to see.
“All promoters involved are currently committed to finding out who the best is in the heavyweight division at the earliest opportunity.
“We hope nothing will get in the way of that fight happening, however, the option to fight Dubois will be a backup plan in case that fight breaks down.
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“But Daniel Dubois is not the fight that boxing fans would like to see in 2023.”
Dubois retained his WBA (regular) heavyweight title earlier this month with a third-round TKO victory over Kevin Lerena.
And prior to Dubois’ destruction of the South African, Usyk’s promoter revealed Triple D would get the next crack at the unified heavyweight titles.
Alexander Krassyuk told BetFred: “We’re looking at Saudi Arabia most likely.
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“We have a timeslot between February 18th and March 4th 2023 in our mind to book this fight.
“It all depends on how it’s going to finish on Saturday, because even if Fury comes through the winner against [Derek] Chisora, he may be injured or have some broken bones that may mean a longer wait for the undisputed fight.
“If something does go wrong then we’re probably going to look at the mandatories we have and Daniel Dubois is the first in line.”
Despite a fight with Dubois being a distinct possibility, Usyk’s sights are solely set on unifying the division against Fury.
Krassyuk said: “This is the only thing Usyk wants. He doesn’t want to go through all the mandatories, he wants to go straight to glory and legacy.
“This is the fight that most of the fans in the world want to see.
“There’s never been a heavyweight that’s had four of the belts at the same time, so this is history in the making.
“You can’t find any reason for not taking this fight.
“If you’re a man, you respect your fans and you respect boxing, then you can have no excuse not to fight Usyk.
“Everybody is on board. Queensberry promotions is on board, Usyk’s team is and Usyk is as well.
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“Our partners in the Middle East are ready and willing to host this fight.
“The only thing that is still pending is the consent of a tall, bald, gypsy man to get beaten. That’s it.”
Usyk’s sights are solely set on an undisputed heavyweight clash with Tyson FuryCredit: GETTY More

OLEKSANDR USYK and his team are even more confident about getting the better of Tyson Fury after seeing him in action against Derek Chisora.The undefeated Ukranian had a front-row view for Fury’s third defence of the WBC heavyweight title – which he retained with a tenth-round TKO victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – earlier this month.
Oleksandr Usyk was ringside for Tyson Fury’s domestic dust-up with Derek ChisoraCredit: Getty
Fury cruised to a points victory over Del Boy at the Tottenham Hotspur StadiumCredit: REUTERS
The Ukrainian wasn’t impressed by what he saw of the Gypsy KingCredit: GETTY
But neither the slick southpaw nor his team were impressed by Fury’s showing against the battle-weathered Del Boy.
Coach Sergey Lapin told Vegas Insider: “We came to London to watch Fury and Derek Chisora.
“We watched Fury up close at ringside with great interest. Our team highlighted many interesting moments from this fight.
“There are many subtleties that you won’t see on TV, for example, the work of the team, the connection between a boxer and his coach.
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“Whether the boxer follows the instructions of the trainer or not. There are weaknesses.
“After seeing Fury in the flesh, our team is even more confident that Usyk will prevail and become undisputed and bring that WBC green belt home to Ukraine.
“The threat that Fury poses is no greater and no tougher than Anthony Joshua.
“We know how that ended for Anthony. We are very confident of beating Fury.”
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Usyk’s proposed undisputed title fight with Fury is expected to take place in late February or early March.
All that remains for the showdown – which is expected to take place in the Middle East – to be finalised is for both parties to agree on a site venue.
Fury’s co-promoter Bob Arum told Fight Hub TV: “We’re now fielding offers from around the world and hopefully by next week we’ll be able to have an announcement.”
Usyk’s manager Egis Klimas said last week: “We are almost done.
“There is not much to talk, two heavyweights, the undisputed heavyweight championship bout, that’s what people need.
“Most likely, we are aiming for Saudi.”
Usyk, 35, will be brimming with confidence ahead of his showdown with Fury following his back-to-back wins over Anthony Joshua.
But Fury is confident of handing the Ukrainian his first professional loss.
He said: “I’m looking to fight Usyk – Joshua’s nemesis, the man who’s got AJ’s kryptonite, the man who made him cry after the fight like a little girl.
“I’ll beat him, I’ll take that little sausage out.

“He ain’t got no kryptonite to me, he’s f** all to me, little f****r. I’m gonna make him dance.
“We’ll see how good he is. I’d like to get him in [Saudi Arabia] in February, make an example of him, and then give him a rematch and do it back at Wembley [Stadium].”
Bob Arum has revealed Usyk vs Fury is close to being finalisedCredit: GETTY More

TYSON FURY has again mocked Anthony Joshua while calling out Oleksandr Usyk for a unification fight.The Gypsy King accused AJ of running scared of a Battle of Britain fight with him and “crying like a girl” after his second defeat to Usyk.
Tyson Fury (above) accused Anthony Joshua of ‘crying like a girl’ after his second defeat to UsykCredit: Getty
Joshua is rumoured to be ready to fight Dylian Whyte, who he beat in 2015, in his next bout.
But Fury said to IFL TV: “Why isn’t this lad [Joshua] stepping up to the plate and taking on the challenge?
“What does he want to fight Dillian Whyte for? He’s already beaten Dillian Whyte.
“Fight me, come to the party. It’s only a fight, isn’t it? You’ve already lost before.
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“I can guarantee you, 100 per cent, it’s not happening.
“I’m looking to fight Usyk – Joshua’s nemesis, the man who’s got AJ’s kryptonite, the man who made him cry after the fight like a little girl.
“I’ll beat him, I’ll take that little sausage out. He ain’t got no kryptonite to me, he’s f*** all to me, little f*****.
“I’m gonna make him dance. We’ll see how good he is.
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“I’d like to get him in [Saudi Arabia] in February, make an example of him, and then give him a rematch and do it back at Wembley.”
Anthony Joshua is likely to fight Dylian Whyte nextCredit: PA
A unification fight between Fury and Usyk (left) would take priority over a mandatory challenge from Dubois to the Ukrainian, it has been claimedCredit: Getty
There have been fears, however, that a potential Fury fight with Usyk could have to wait after Daniel Dubois was made mandatory challenger for the Ukrainian’s WBA title.
But Fury’s promoter Frank Warren assured fans that a unification fight between the two champions would take priority if agreed.
He told his Queensbury YouTube channel: “He [Dubois] is next in the rotation. It’s agreed by the governing bodies.
“He’s next, but obviously, a unification, which we’re working on, will take precedence. It will take priority.” More

ANTHONY JOSHUA’s former coach Robert Garcia has broken his silence on his axing – revealing he was given the boot in a frank phone call.Garcia – the trainer of 14 former world champions – was drafted in by the Watford warrior ahead of his crunch rematch with Oleksandr Usyk in August.
Anthony Joshua teamed up with Robert Garcia ahead of his rematch with Oleksandr UsykCredit: GETTY
But he parted company with the American after his second defeat to UsykCredit: GETTY
Garcia has no hard feelings about his departure from the teamCredit: REUTERS
But the American couldn’t guide Joshua to victory in the Saudi showdown, which ultimately led AJ to go in a different direction with his coaching.
Garcia told ES News: “Anthony called me and told me what he was doing.”
Joshua, 33, is currently in the USA feeling out potential new head coaches for the rebuilding chapter of his career.
The former two-time unified heavyweight champ was recently spotted training in Los Angeles with Virgil Hunter – the ex-trainer of fellow Brit Amir Khan.
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And Garcia completely understands Joshua’s reasoning for giving him his marching orders.
He continued: “I understand you know, the way he is seeing things and honestly, I wish him the best.
“Even if it was me again, I understand they are trying to fight sometime in the spring, having to go to camp in England it was very difficult for me because I know that Jose [Ramirez] is fighting during that time.
“So, I’ve got to train his a*** off to get him ready to fight. Also, Bam [Rodriguez] will be fighting during that time.
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“It’s not about Virgil Hunter doing a better job, Derrick James doing a better job or me doing a better job than his previous trainer.
“It’s about him getting out of his comfort zone and not being the boss and doing what he’s told to do in a place where he’s not comfortable.”
He added: “It doesn’t matter who it is, when he comes back, I know they’re going to pick him two or three easy fights so that’s going to make any trainer look good.
“But it’s a big difference. I went in there against Usyk and we still did better than anyone expected.”
Joshua suffered a split decision defeat to Usyk in their Saudi showdown, although Garcia, like many others, believes he gave a much better account of himself than they did in their Tottenham tussle last September.
Joshua is expected to return to the ring in late March once he finalises his new coaching team, with a domestic dust-up with Dillian Whyte in his sights.
But promoter Eddie Hearn has revealed talks over a long-awaited grudge match with Deontay Wilder have taken place.
Anthony Joshua is hoping to return to the ring early next yearCredit: GETTY More

TYSON FURY’s blockbuster undisputed fight with Oleksandr Usyk is on the verge of being finalised – and it could be announced next week.Negotiations over a spring showdown resumed earlier this month after The Gypsy King retained his WBC heavyweight title with a tenth-round TKO victory over Derek Chisora.
Tyson Fury and Olekandr Usyk are on course to throw down early next yearCredit: REUTERS
The pair went to face-to-face at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium earlier this monthCredit: GETTY
Fury’s co-promoter Bob Arum has revealed a deal for the huge dust-up is almost finalisedCredit: Getty
And Fury’s American promoter Bob Arum has revealed a site deal for the showdown is close to being finalised.
The Top Rank Boxing chief told Fight Hub TV: “We’re now fielding offers from around the world and hopefully by next week we’ll be able to have an announcement.”
Usyk manager Egis Klimas revealed last week that the bout – which is expected to take place in the Middle East – was close to coming to fruition.
He said: “We are almost done.
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“There is not much to talk, two heavyweights, the undisputed heavyweight championship bout, that’s what people need.
“Most likely, we are aiming for Saudi.”
It’s understood that Usyk vs Fury is being targeted for late February or early March as the latter is weighing up undergoing elbow surgery.
Fury and Usyk, 34 and 35 respectively, took part in a heated face-off after the former’s glorified sparring match with Chisora.
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Fury called undefeated Ukrainian every name under the sun but the slick southpaw remained stoic amid the verbal tirade.
And he’s relishing the stylistic showdown with the former undisputed cruiserweight king.
He told iFL TV: “Why isn’t this lad [Anthony Joshua] stepping up to the plate and taking on the challenge?”
“What does he want to fight Dillian Whyte for? He’s already beaten Dillian Whyte.
“Fight me, come to the party. It’s only a fight, isn’t it? You’ve already lost before.
“I can guarantee you, 100 percent, it’s not happening.
“I’m looking to fight Usyk – Joshua’s nemesis, the man who’s got AJ’s kryptonite, the man who made him cry after the fight like a little girl.
“I’ll beat him, I’ll take that little sausage out.
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He ain’t got no kryptonite to me, he’s f** all to me, little f****r. I’m gonna make him dance.
“We’ll see how good he is. I’d like to get him in [Saudi Arabia] in February, make an example of him, and then give him a rematch and do it back at Wembley [Stadium].”
Tyson Fury is champing at the bit to get his hands on UsykCredit: Reuters More

ANTHONY JOSHUA has revealed he’d extensively study Tyson Fury’s weaknesses if their dream domestic dust-up ever came to fruition.British boxing fans have been dreaming of the duo trading leather for the best part of a decade but the fight, so far, hasn’t come to fruition.
British boxing fans are still eager to see Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua throw downCredit: AFP
Former two-time heavyweight champ AJ is still hoping to get his hands onCredit: GETTY
Joshua would extensively study Fury’s weakness if the domestic dust-up came to fruitionCredit: AP
But that hasn’t stopped AJ from strategising how he’d get the better of The Gypsy King.
During a fan Q&A with GQ, the former two-time unified heavyweight champ said: “How do I prepare for Tyson Fury?
“What do I do? I go back in history, I watch other heavyweights that I fought.
“Taller opponents, opponents that are elusive.
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“Also watched a coach who’s training Tyson Fury, how he prepares his fighters.
“And then I’ll also watch Tyson Fury from a mental standpoint and understand where he’s weak mentally.
“And then I’ll combine it all together and go in there and go in there and do my best and give it my best and I’m sure that should be enough.”
A long-awaited Battle of Britain almost came to fruition earlier this year when Fury offered AJ a shock world title lifeline.
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Joshua, 33, publicly accepted the offer, although negotiations over the showdown failed to bear fruit.
The failed talks paved the way for Fury to have a Tottenham trilogy fight with Derek Chisora, who he stopped in ten rounds.
Joshua, however, is hopeful he will one day share the ring with the WBC heavyweight king.
He told iDBoxing: “Well, on my behalf, I would like the opportunity.
“Because the longer we leave it, it’s not good for anyone.
“So, yeah, I would like the opportunity. Good luck with his next fight if he comes through.
“Then I think he’s going to go on to undisputed, and then I’ll be fighting somebody else.
“Then hopefully, we both come victorious, and then we look to fight each other.”
Anthony Joshua is still hopeful of one day sharing the ring with Tyson FuryCredit: Getty More