Heavyweight Presidents Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk have reached a tentative agreement on a unified fight, according to WBA President Jesus Mendoza. Fight Freaks Unite first reported the news.
The key to the breakthrough was Usyk’s willingness to accept 30% of the revenue when Fury asked, which Usyk refused.
Mendoza told the outlet on Friday that the managers of the undefeated majors told him they had reached an agreement but had not finished drafting the contract.
WBA officials, clearly frustrated by the ongoing negotiations, had intended to order Usyk to take the mandatory defense against Daniel DuBois. Usyk holds the IBF, WBA and WBO titles. Fury is the WBC champion.
If they close the deal, the winner will become the first undisputed heavyweight champion in the four-belt era.
“It looks like Usyk versus Fury is going to happen,” Mendoza told Fight Freaks Unite. “There is an agreement between Usyk and Fury. They will provide a contract and date.
“Basically, they say an agreement has been reached. Let’s work on contracts.
The fighters had targeted April 29 for their match but that seemed unlikely due to the limited preparation and match promotion time. A source told Fight Freaks Unite that June or later is more likely.
The meeting will likely take place at Wembley Stadium in London but that doesn’t appear to have been finalized.
Fury (33-0-1, 24 KOs) is often considered the top heavyweight in the world even though he holds only one of the four main belts. He’s coming out of the 10th round knockout Derek Chisora in December.
Usyk (20-0, 13 KOs) is a former unified cruiser class champion. He stunned the boxing world by Anthony Joshua Criticized to win his three titles in September 2021 and beyond redo in the rematch last August.
