Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk negotiations fail; fight will not occur April 29

Negotiations Fail for Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk; Fight Won’t Happen on April 29

According to a report by Mike Coppinger on ESPN.com, talks between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk have reportedly broken down and the fight will not take place on April 29.

This does not rule out the possibility of the fight, which would be the first four-belt unification in heavyweight history, taking place at any point in the foreseeable future, and certainly not this year. No, it won’t arrive in a month, which is probably not a huge shock at this point. The fight probably needed to be made by this past weekend for there to be any chance that it would have still happened on that date.

The news might not be all bad, after all. In the event that someone from the Middle East, such as Saudi Arabia, Dubai, or Abu Dhabi, were to sweep in with even bigger money on April 29, it might actually make it easier to get the fight done and move it to Wembley Stadium, where it had been planned.

That’s not to say it’s a good thing, either. Fury (33-0-1, 24 KO) is undefeated and holds the WBC belt, but he has little interest from potential opponents. And Usyk (20-0, 13 KO), who holds the WBA, IBF, and WBO titles, has said before that he wants Fury or else he might see himself at the end of the road at the age of 36. His main objective appears to be to become undefeated at heavyweight.

Both may have interim bouts in the meantime.

Fury has suggested a rematch with Deontay Wilder, and Wilder has recently stated that he is eager to resume training and plan his next bout. Since it appears that neither camp is interested in fighting, the WBC can easily rescind their order for a Wilder vs Andy Ruiz Jr eliminator and allow Fury vs Wilder 4 to take place.

Due to a December order, Usyk may have to defend his WBA secondary title against Daniel Dubois. If he wants to remain undisputed, Usyk can’t just give up the WBA title, because then he wouldn’t have the WBA title. There’s no reason for him to be afraid of picking a fight with Dubois unless he really doesn’t like fighting.

Boxing betting enthusiasts may have to wait even longer for the Fury vs. Usyk fight. Reports suggest Usyk has closed down his training camp and the WBA may delay issuing a formal order, even if Middle Eastern money enters the picture.