Oleksandr Usyk’s promoter has flown into the UK for crunch talks to keep the undisputed clash with Tyson Fury on track.
Alex Krassyuk is due to meet with George Warren – son of promoter Frank – in London on Tuesday. Talks have hit an impasse over the split of the pot generated by both men for the heavyweight contest for all four major world titles.
Wembley Stadium has now emerged as a realistic target for the clash between WBC champion Fury and IBF, WBA and WBO title holder Usyk. But there are still ongoing discussions with Saudi Arabia about the fight heading to the Middle East.
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It had looked almost certain that the bout would end up in Riyadh but talks have not gone as smoothly as predicted and, although communication channels remain open, there is now more of a push for the bout to be in London.
The sticking point on the fight is not the location but the split in purses. Reports of stadium issues in Saudi are incorrect. Krassyuk has made it clear that his man will not accept anything less than 50/50 for the fight.
Fury’s team will argue that their man offers more commercially given he has sold over 150,000 tickets for his last two fights in London and generated millions on pay-per-view on both sides of the Atlantic.
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(Image: Top Rank via Getty Images)
But Usyk’s team are adamant that they bring three world titles, significant interest and also the opportunity for Fury to fight for the undisputed crown which hasn’t been contested since 1999.
Frank Warren confirmed recently that April 29 is the working date for the fight. Neither side are keen to move that date.
Usyk wants to get back in the ring because he hasn’t fought since beating Anthony Joshua for a second time in September while Fury beat Derek Chisora handily back in December.
(Image: PA)
This is a date which works both in the Middle East and in London. It does not clash with Ramadan if they head to Saudi while it comes a week after the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley Stadium.
That would ensure the pitch at the national stadium is given plenty of recovery time before EFL play-off finals which are due to take place between May 27-29. The FA Cup final is set for June 3.
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