We’ve been off to much too hot a start to 2023 in boxing, so let’s douse a little cold water on all you fans. For as much talks there’s been about a potential undisputed heavyweight title unification between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, things are not trending in a positive direction as talks have hit major issues over money.
Alex Krassyuk, who promotes Usyk, tells Sky Sports that Tyson Fury is just demanding too much money to make the fight happen, which is preventing terms from being reached. Krassyuk says he most recently proposed a 60/40 split in favor of the winner to Fury in an attempt to persuade him, only to have that rejected and is now unsure if Fury really even wants to reach an agreement.
“I can only tell you from the words 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 his [demands].”
Krassyuk continued by referencing his two decades in the sport of boxing, saying it’s a common ploy for fighters to publicly act like they want a fight only to make impossible financial demands to prevent it from happening.
Should negotiations not take a turn soon, it’s likely both Fury and Usyk will be heading in separate directions.