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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Sport
Alex Pattle

Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk deal is ‘done’ on Ukrainian’s side, says manager Egis Klimas

Getty Images

Oleksandr Usyk’s manager has said a deal around a heavyweight title fight with Tyson Fury is ‘done from our side’.

Usyk retained the WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO belts in August with a second straight decision win over Anthony Joshua, four months after Fury knocked out Dillian Whyte to remain WBC champion.

Usyk and Fury were then expected to face one another to crown an undisputed heavyweight champion, but the Briton will instead box Derek Chisora in a trilogy bout on 3 December – despite having beaten his compatriot twice already.

Fury, 34, is seemingly lining up a clash with Usyk for next year, however, and the Ukrainian’s manager Egis Klimas told Seconds Out on Friday (4 November): “Everything is done from our side – everything, absolutely.

“So, there’s only one guy who can say, ‘Yes, we’re going [ahead];’ that’s Fury.”

Both Fury and Usyk, 35, are unbeaten, with the latter having reigned as the only undisputed cruiserweight champion of the four-belt era before moving up to heavyweight.

“Size difference of course, it’s not in Usyk’s favour,” Klimas said. “[Fury] is a giant. Also, he’s a good fighter. He’s a talented fighter first of all; Second, he has a good boxing IQ.

“So, he is a very, very dangerous fighter.”

Oleksandr Usyk (right) outpointed Anthony Joshua in September 2021 and August this year (Getty Images)

Addressing the possibility of Fury losing to 38-year-old Chisora, whom the “Gypsy King” outpointed in 2011 and beat by stoppage in 2014, Klimas said: “Then we’re gonna go and unify the titles with Chisora.

“We [beat him comfortably in 2020], but again: Boxing is boxing; one time you beat them, one time you can can lose, one time you can draw – and all kind of different things happen.”

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