Fury vs Usyk close to being signed with single roadblock stalling bout

Negotiations to stage the first undisputed heavyweight unification clash of the four-belt era between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are in the advanced stages. A fight between the pair is set to take place between the end of March and early April with the venue being the only thing holding up the fight.

Organisers have reportedly spoken to three Middle Eastern countries about the possibility of hosting the event with Saudi Arabia being the current frontrunners. Fury’s US promoter Bob Arum confirmed a few days ago that they are set to receive an official offer this week from potential suitors which would move on the deal massively.

“I’m very optimistic the fight is going to happen,” Arum told Sky Sports News. “Both fighters have agreed to do the fight, the question is the site and we’re talking to the Middle East because allegedly they’re going to come up with the biggest purse ever in boxing history.

“And if they do, that’s where the fight is going to go because money is money. If they don’t, both fighters will agree to do the fight this spring at Wembley… but the fight will happen in my opinion, certainly within the first four months of the year.

If the bid doesn’t match the fight’s overall valuation, then Wembley Stadium has been pencilled in as a backup option. In April, Fury defended his WBC title in front of a capacity crowd of 95,000 there as he stopped fellow countryman Dillian Whyte in the sixth round. Should Usyk and Fury’s four-belt shoot-out end up being held at the historic London venue, then Arum believes it would be even more of a spectacle.

“To do 95,000 people in Wembley, which we did for the Dillian Whyte fight… a lot of my friends who went to that fight said it was one of the greatest, if not their greatest, experience going to an athletic event,” Arum added.

“Now, if it’s a unification match between Tyson and Usyk, it’ll be even more spectacular.”