Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk’s showdown MUST be signed off by April 1 as the WBA set new deadline
The undisputed matchup of Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk MUST be signed before April 1st, as the WBA set a new deadline for a deal… with the Wembley date STILL not missed, and Daniel Dubois waiting in the wings as mandatory challenger.
- WBA Boxing has given Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury an April 1 deadline
- They must sign contracts by that date, or Usyk will face a mandatory defense.
- While an April 29 date has been speculated, it has yet to be confirmed six weeks from now.
WBA Boxing has issued a deadline of April 1 to sign the unification battle between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.
There has been a long war of words between the two camps, and while an April 29 date for a mammoth gathering at Wembley Stadium has been mooted, nothing has been confirmed despite the date being less than six weeks away. .
Yesterday Sportsmail reported that the Ukrainian’s manager and adviser, Egis Klimas, had cast doubt on that date due to problems agreeing terms with the Gypsy King.
Klimas said that if a deal with Fury could not be reached, then Usyk would go on a mandatory defense route against fellow British boxer Daniel Dubois.
Now, WBA President Gilberto J Mendoza has confirmed a deadline for the Fury fight to be agreed upon and for both parties to sign the paperwork.
WBA Boxing says Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury fight must be agreed before April 1
WBA President Gilberto J Mendoza confirmed the contract deadline on Twitter on Sunday.
Mendoza tweeted: ‘Usyk v. Fury: @WBABoxing’s deadline to receive signed fight contracts is April 1st. Otherwise, the Dobouis [sic] compulsory negotiations will be ordered.’
It’s yet another twist in the ongoing saga, which seemed to have been resolved when Fury confirmed the Wembley date as he went into a social media blackout to prepare for the fight.
But Usyk’s team suggested that the date was nowhere close to being confirmed and that Dubois’ route was being considered if the April 29 date did not come to fruition.
One element of the dispute appears to be how the purse is divided, with Fury asking for a 70% stake due to his ability to attract punters and the backing of UK promoters Queensbury and US promoters Top Rank.
If a deal cannot be reached with Fury, Usyk will face a mandatory challenge from Daniel Dubois.
However, the Ukrainian team believes that Top Rank’s involvement has actually complicated things, and that the 36-year-old from Crimea deserves a fair split as he is bringing back the WBO, WBA, IBF and IBF championships. IBO.
A fight between Usyk and Fury would be a shot at boxing’s first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis in 2000.
Dubois, 25, has a 19-1 record as a professional fighter, winning 18 of those contests by knockout. His only loss came against Joe Joyce in November 2020.
His last performance was a TKO win over Kevin Lerena at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in December.