Tyson Fury’s undisputed showdown with Oleksandr Usyk ‘could take place on the same weekend as the Super Bowl in February to give fight a big marketing boost’… with December date ‘now highly unlikely’ for the Saudi Arabia clash
- Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are locked in talks over their undisputed bout
- The fight is set to be hosted in Saudi Arabia, with December a possible date
- But the showdown is now reportedly being considered for February 2023
Tyson Fury’s undisputed showdown against Oleksandr Usyk could now be moved to February 2023 instead of December to give the bout a marketing boost on Super Bowl weekend, according to reports.
Fury and Usyk’s teams are locked in talks to make one of the biggest fights in boxing, with Sportsmail reporting last week that the clash was definitely on after Frank Warren reported back with confidence from negotiations.
Usyk retained his WBO, WBA and IBF world title belts – as well as Fury’s vacated Ring Magazine strap – after beating Anthony Joshua with a split decision from the judges in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Tyson Fury and Oleskandr Usyk’s undisputed showdown could be held in February 2023
The showdown could be held on the same weekend as next year’s Super Bowl to give the fight a marketing boost
His epic fight against Fury is set to be held in Saudi Arabia again, though Qatar, UAE and Las Vegas have also been named as possible host contenders – with December earmarked as a possible date.
However, ESPN, via Boxing Scene, now claim that slot at the end of this year is now ‘highly unlikely’, with the fight now slated for a possible February date on the same weekend as the Super Bowl, which will take place on Feburary 12.
Fighting on that weekend could give the bout a huge marketing boost with promos during the lucrative half-time show of NFL’s most high-profile game.
ESPN’s Mark Kriegel said: ‘You may have seen reports this week that the Saudis want to host it in December. Don’t hold your breath on that. Quote, ‘highly unlikely’, according to Arum and others I spoke to.
Usyk beat Anthony Joshua thanks to a split decision in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, which could be the same host venue for his fight against Fury
‘Likely date now: February, Super Bowl weekend, or maybe the week after, probably the Middle East, but not necessarily Saudi Arabia. Remember, there’s also Abu Dhabi, could be a player, Qatar could be a player, and still an outside shot that the UK gets it.’
He added: ‘This one is going to be 50-50. I spoke to Bob Arum today. He said that is a given. My other sources agree. So, we have one point of contention completely out of the way, or supposedly. That’s welcome news, proof to me the fight’s going to happen.’
Fury’s UK-based promoter Warren told Sportsmail the fight was ‘definitely’ happening after progress in negotiations between the two camps.
‘We are at the stage where we can say this enormous fight is definitely happening,’ said the Gypsy King’s promoter Frank Warren. ‘Tyson is not vacating the WBC title.’
However, Fury has suggested that he will only fight for mega money after claiming he wants £500million to face the Ukrainian star.
Frank Warren says the fight is ‘definitely happening and that Fury won’t vacate the WBC belt
‘Everyone keeps asking about this fight with this Ukrainian guy. Are you going to come back? Are you going to do this? Are you going to do that?
‘I’m retired from boxing and I’m very happy doing that. However, I will come back but it has to be for obscene amounts of money.
‘Let’s face it, it’s not Anthony Joshua – which I would’ve done for free in England. It’s some foreigner who nobody really cares about. To fight this unknown entity and give him an opportunity of legendary status? They have to pay for that.
‘This fight is purely about money. I’m happily retired. It’s the biggest fight in the world so it needs to be the biggest pay day in the world. [Floyd] Mayweather got £400million to fight [Manny] Pacquiao, I want £500m!
‘I have no real interest in Usyk. Some man that nobody can really say his name? A pumped-up middleweight? It’s not my fault he’s gone and battered AJ, some bodybuilder! It’s not my fault that happened twice in a row.
Fury insists he wants at least £500m to face Usyk and says he ‘doesn’t respect’ the fighter
‘There has only ever been me. They try to compete, but they get beat. There’s no disrespect to Joshua – but at top-level, world-class boxing, he just can’t cut it.
‘I could beat Usyk on a week’s training! Because he’s a middleweight, I’ll put my fists right through him. I don’t respect Usyk. I don’t think he’s a great fighter. I’ve seen more excitement in Morecambe on a Friday night.
‘Usyk didn’t land a worthwhile punch in 12 rounds. It was tip-tap b*******! He couldn’t knock the skin off a rice pudding.’
WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman has confirmed that while remaining active Fury is not obliged to make a mandatory defence of their belt for almost a year.
That will install the winner of Fury v Usyk as the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis retired almost 20 years ago.
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