Tyson Fury doesn't appear to have secured £500million to face Oleksandr Usyk by his own deadline.
The world heavyweight champion, who is known to on occasion tell fans one thing only to do another, said in a post to his Instagram and Twitter pages that he wouldn't be returning to the ring if he hadn't had a formal offer to face Usyk in an undisputed fight for all of the belts by September 1, which was yesterday.
However, it's likely Fury was just posturing and that the fight will still be made, with Frank Warren and Bob Arum both keen to head back to Saudi Arabia for a massive heavyweight showdown. Usyk's team have no obligation to a broadcaster or major promoter, and as such should be able to make a solid deal for the fight with Fury's side and Saudi organisers.
"To all the suitors out there who want to make the fight, I'm going to give you all seven days, 'til September 1 to come up with the money; if not, thank you very much, it's been a blast and I'm retired," Fury said last week. That deadline has come and gone with no official offer made public, although it's possible that it was extended in order to continue negotiations.
The bout is currently being touted for a late 2022 or 2023 date, with one being floated as December 17, the night before the World Cup final which happens just three hours down the road in Qatar. However, Top Rank bosses appear to believe that the start of next year is more feasible, with the deal likely an intricate one that needs time to get over the line.
Fury won't make anything near the 'half-a-billy' that he has insisted he wants for the Usyk fight, but it's likely that both men will be offered world record purses for the event. Saudi Arabian officials are keen to invest big money in fights and bring them to the Middle East with their deep pockets.
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"It's the Tyson Fury show," Todd DeBoeuf, Top Rank's president told Sky Sports. "He, I think technically, is at a pause, he's paused his career and we respect that and we're continually having conversations with the Warrens in the UK about what possibly could come down the pipeline.
"I think if an Usyk fight happens, I think it would probably happen some time in the first part of 2023. But nothing imminent with Tyson right now, other than I'm just ready for him to get on social media and surprise all of us with another crazy statement."
Usyk and Joshua split a reported $150m purse down the middle for their unified world title rematch last month, and Fury would likely expect more. The Ukrainian holds the unified WBA super, WBO and IBF belts while the Brit is WBC champion. Even the less prestigious IBO belt and The Ring Magazine 's title will be on the line with Usyk defending them as well.
