Oleeksandr Usyk's promoter Alexander Krassuyk has called upon Tyson Fury to lower his demands in order to make their undisputed world heavyweight championship fight happen.
Talks are ongoing, with the date and venue seemingly set for Wembley Stadium on April 29, but the fighters yet to agree on the purse split for the fight. According to the latest comments from Usyk's representative, Fury is expecting a larger share of the purse, having shared an 80:20 split which was negotiated in Fury's favour for his win against Dillian Whyte at the same venue last April.
That fight was a sell-out, with over 90,000 in attendance to watch Fury beat Whyte with a sixth round knockout, highlighting Fury's ability to sell tickets. However, Usyk's team claim that their fighter should be able to command a bigger share than is currently being pushed for, with the Ukrainian holding four world titles compared the the single belt in Fury's possession.
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Krassuyk acknowledged Fury's ability to sell tickets regardless of opponent, with his fight against Derek Chisora bringing 60,000 fans to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in December. However, he made the argument that, at least in a sporting sense, that Usyk is worth more than the current state of negotiations suggest.
Krassyuk told BoxingScene.com: “Yeah, but how can you justify this? Just because he’s English? Doesn’t sound [like a] big [justification]. From the other side, Fury can say, ‘OK it doesn’t matter to me who I’m fighting. [Whether it’s] Usyk or the man from a supermarket, I can still sell out Wembley Stadium.
“But, c’mon man, this is sports. It’s not just about professional boxing. Go to Hollywood if you want to make that kind of money. If you’re the king you’ve got to prove it. Prove it against the guy with three belts.”
The comments will be worrying to boxing fans who thought a breakthrough in talks might have happened this week, with the revelation that Wembley is expected to stage the fight. However, with the latest revelations it appears as though we may be some way off an official announcement for the fight.
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