Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk’s undisputed showdown MUST be signed off on April 1 as the WBA set a new deadline for an agreement to be reached… with the Wembley date still undecided – and Daniel Dubois waiting in the wings as a 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 mandatory defense
- While an April 29 date was speculated, it still hasn’t been confirmed for six weeks
WBA Boxing has issued an April 1 deadline to sign the unification battle between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.
There has been a prolonged war of words between the two camps, and while the date of April 29 has been mooted for a massive meeting at Wembley Stadium, nothing has been confirmed despite less than six weeks from the date.
Yesterday, Sportsmail reported that Ukrainian manager and long-time adviser Egis Klimas has cast doubt on that date, due to issues agreeing terms with the Gypsy King.
Klimas said that if an agreement with Fury could not be reached, Usyk would pivot to a mandatory defense route against fellow Brit boxer Daniel Dubois.
Today WBA President Gilberto J Mendoza confirmed a deadline for the Fury fight has been agreed upon, and for the paperwork signed by both parties.
WBA Boxing says the fight between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury should be agreed on April 1
WBA President Gilberto J Mendoza confirmed the contract deadline on Twitter on Sunday
Mendoza tweeted: ‘Usyk v. Fury update: @WBABoxing deadline to receive signed fight contracts is April 1. If not Dobouis [sic] mandatory negotiations will be ordered.’
It’s a further twist to the ongoing saga, which appears 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 is not close to being confirmed, and that the Dubois route is being considered if the April 29 date does not materialize.
One element of the dispute appears to be over how the purse is split, with Fury calling for a 70% take due to his ability to draw punters, and support from UK promoter Queensbury and US promoters Top Rank.
If a deal with Fury cannot be reached, Usyk will face a mandatory challenge from Daniel Dubois
However, the Ukrainian team believes that the participation of Top Rank really complicates things, and the 36-year-old from Crimea deserves a fair share because he carries the championships of WBO, WBA, IBF and IBO on the table.
The fight between Usyk and Fury is a chance for the 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 was against Joe Joyce in November 2020.
His last outing was a technical knock-out victory over Kevin Lerena at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in December.
