Tyson Fury’s next opponent is expected to be officially decided in Mexico City on Friday with Dillian Whyte finally given a shot at the WBC heavyweight title.
Negotiations over multi-million-pound payouts to both Anthony Joshua and Whyte to step aside for a reunification fight with Oleksandr Usyk broke down on Thursday night.
Instead, Fury versus Whyte as early as the end of March is set to be announced as the next major heavyweight bout with purse bids for the fight on Friday night.
Joshua was reportedly being offered £15million to forego a Usyk rematch and instead fight the winner of the meeting between Fury and Usyk, with Whyte to be given £5m to step back from his position as the WBC mandatory challenger to Fury.
Last night, Fury tweeted a picture of him and Whyte with the words, “Who else can’t wait for the fight, the best of Britain?”
Fury has had a provisional date of March 26 booked in for his next fight although the meeting with Whyte could yet be pushed back to mid-April.
Meanwhile, the rematch between Joshua and Usyk is being discussed for early May, most likely at the same Tottenham Stadium where Usyk stunned Joshua to dethrone him as heavyweight world champion.
The finger pointing from rival promoters Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren looks set to continue unabated over how exactly the talks of the past weeks have fallen apart.
Hearn called Fury a “walking contradiction”. He said: “Ultimately, it’s Tyson Fury who doesn’t want to fight Oleksandr Usyk next in an undisputed fight, he wants to have an interim fight in March.
“There’s no conversation to be had. As we stand here right now, Dillian Whyte against Tyson Fury will go to purse bids in Mexico City.”
Warren rubbished Hearn’s version of events but agreed that any prospect of Fury versus Usyk next was dead.
