Tyson Fury threatens Oleksandr Usyk with final offer for undisputed title fight
Tyson Fury has offered Oleksandr Usyk 30 per cent of the purse split for a potential fight between the pair, while threatening to deduct one per cent from that amount every day.
Fury and Usyk are in talks to clash this year to crown an undisputed heavyweight champion – the first since Lennox Lewis in 2000 – but negotiations seem to have stalled. Usyk’s promoter Alex Krassyuk said this week that Fury had rejected an offer of 60-40 in favour of the winner, and the WBC champion seemed to confirm that suggestion on Friday (10 March).
In an Instagram story, Briton Fury said: “I see all this talk of, ‘They want 50 per cent,’ Usyk and all this, ‘Tyson’s being greedy.’
“From where I’m standing, Usyk, you and your team are worth 30 per cent. You either take it or you leave it. And if you don’t want it, go and fight Daniel Dubois at the Copper Box [Arena] and get a few million dollars. You want to make some real money? Come and fight the ‘Gypsy King’.
“But I will say: Every day from today that you linger and mess around, I’m gonna deduct one per cent from the 30 per cent – until you take it.
“And if you don’t take it, fight Dubois for $2million – not a problem. But how in the world could you ever offer me a deal? Not possible. Tick tock, tick tock.”
Fury was in talks to fight compatriot Anthony Joshua in December, but negotiations fell through and led the 34-year-old to box Derek Chisora for the third time. Fury won with a 10th-round finish, marking his third victory over his fellow Briton.
With that win, Fury retained the WBC heavyweight title, while Usyk retained the WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO belts against Joshua in his last fight.
The Ukrainian, 36, outpointed “AJ” in August, marking his second straight decision win over the man he dethroned in 2021.
Fury and Usyk both remained unbeaten with their most recent results, with Fury’s record standing at 33-0-1 (24 knockouts), while Usyk is 20-0 (13 KOs).
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