By: Sean Crose
It ain’t happening. Or is it?
The much hyped, much anguished over undisputed heavyweight championship fight between WBC and lineal champion Tyson Fury, and WBA, WBO, and IBF titlist Oleksandr Usyk had been called off last night. Although the fight had reportedly been set for April 29th at London’s Wembley Stadium, the signatures of Fury and Usyk ultimately never made it to paper. Alexander Krassyuk, Usyk’s promoter, reiterated what team Usyk had been asserting for days, that Fury was simply making unreasonable demands. Suffice to say, a fight with mandatory contender Daniel Dubious was reportedly on the table next on Usyk’s fight calendar.
“The fight is called off,” Krassyuk told talkSPORT, “The reason for that is it went too far.” As the promoter explained it, “there was a feeling that after Usyk accepted 70/30, Tyson Fury started to think he could put a saddle on his neck and start riding Usyk as much as he can. It is not right.” Krassyuk indicated that Fury simply didn’t want to face Usyk and was trying to find new ways to avoid sharing the ring with the Ukrainian titlist.
“If it’s so complicated,” he said, “that Tyson tries to avoid it by putting so many obstacles in front of making the deal, then there is no need to put more effort into it.” Fury’s co-promoter Frank Warren, however, was of another mind. “I’m not confirming it’s off,” he said to talkSPORT. Krassyuk then got on the line and the two promoters agreed to keep talking to see if the fight could be made. “It’s not me,” said Krassyuk. “It’s Usyk who cannot stand it anymore, who does not want to compromise anymore.”
If anything, the negotiations for this bout show just how mind numbingly complex it can be to make a big fight these days. As Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia have proven, however, major matchups can still come to fruition.