Oleksandr Usyk has an ‘obligation’ to face Tyson Fury in an undisputed heavyweight title fight, the Ukrainian’s promoter says.
Unified champion Usyk, 36, defends his WBA (Super), WBO, and IBF titles against Briton Daniel Dubois on Saturday.
Talks for an historic fight against Britain’s WBC champion, Fury, broke down earlier this year.
“It’s our obligation to deliver this fight. The whole world wants to see this fight. Not just ourselves or people involved in boxing, but the whole world. People who know nothing about boxing would love to see the undisputed heavyweight champion fight for the four belts for the first time in the four-belt era. I can promise you and all the fans around the world that I will do everything that can depend on me to make this fight happen,” Usyk’s promoter Alexander Krassyuk said.
Olympic gold medalist and former undisputed cruiserweight champion Usyk is undefeated in 20 professional fights.
He dethroned Briton Anthony Joshua to become a two-weight champion in September 2021 before winning a rematch 11 months later.
Fury, 35, has won 33 fights with one draw since turning professional in 2008.
‘The Gypsy King’ will face MMA fighter Francis Ngannou in a non-title bout on 28 October in Saudi Arabia, a move that Usyk says is ‘not good’ for boxing.
Ngannou has no professional record in boxing and there is no clarification as to whether the contest will count as an official bout. “I think it’s easy money for Tyson Fury. I think for me it looks a little bit strange—to me, too strange. A guy who is the WBC heavyweight champion, instead of fighting a guy from the top 10, suddenly chooses the guy as his opponent from the UFC. For Ngannou, this is cool. But for Tyson Fury, it isn’t. Your perception and my perception are different. You treat it like a show; I treat it like an athlete. If he chooses this way, OK, I respect his choice,” Usyk said.
Fury faced criticism for failing to reach terms with Usyk after a proposed bout at London’s Wembley Stadium in April fell through. “I think our man beats him. Our man beats him, and if he beats him, then Usyk is out of the picture. Then we’ll see where we go from there.” – www.bbc.com