[ad_1]
The co-promoter of WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury 33-0-1 (24) has accused WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight boss Oleskandr Usyk 20-0 (13) of being greedy.
Fury and Usyk were in protracted negotiations for a four-belt unification bout that was pencilled in for April 29 but talks fell apart when a financial agreement could not be reached.
This week Ukrainian southpaw Usyk, 36, announced he had signed a multi-fight promotional deal with Saudi Arabian outfit Skill Challenge Promotions (SCP). The company was founded by Prince Khaled bin AbdulAziz in 2023.
Usyk has history with Saudi Arabia. He fought there in his last bout when he defeated Anthony Joshua 25-3 (22) by split decision in their rematch in August 2022 on an SCP co-promotion.
When the proposed Fury-Usyk bout fell apart, the unified champion taunted the 34-year-old Brit on social media, giving him the nickname “greedy belly”. But now Fury’s co-promoter Frank Warren has said it is clear that it is, in fact, Usyk who is money hungry.
“All Usyk is interested in is, getting a big payday and fighting for big paydays in Saudi Arabia,” the Queensberry Promotions chief told talkSPORT.
“I don’t blame him for that. I understand that but don’t make it that Tyson is the greedy person. You go to Saudi Arabia because they are going to pay a lot of money and that’s what it is.
“If you’re getting paid three or four times the amount of money, whether you want to call it greed, good business, or whatever, that’s not down to Tyson Fury. That’s the reason he didn’t want to fight Tyson Fury in the UK. We offered him that fight over the summer, and we kept it very quiet, we haven’t banged on about it, and in the interim period Usyk never came back with anything.”
Usyk announced his new promotional deal at a press conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia earlier this week.
“It is great honor and joy for me to return to The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” he said. “It’s an excellent opportunity to work with His Highness Prince Khaled and to reach our team’s goal to claim the WBC heavyweight champion title to become the undisputed champion.
“I haven’t got any big plans, like a samurai I have the way… the way I walk.”
Usyk’s next fight is expected to take place in Saudi Arabia in August when he will defend his three world championship belts against WBA ‘regular’ titleholder Daniel ‘Dynamite’ Dubois 19-1 (18).
Britain’s Dubois, 25, won his secondary strap with a fourth-round knockout of American Trevor Bryan 22-1 (15) in Miami, Florida in June last year. He successfully defended the belt with a third-round knockout of southpaw former cruiserweight contender Kevin Lerena 29-2 (14) of South Africa in Tottenham, England in December.
Former undisputed cruiserweight king Usyk will have been out of the ring for a year when they fight.
[ad_2]
Source link