By Charles Brun: The WBA president Gilberto Mendoza has given the Oleksandr Usyk vs.Tyson Fury fight a strict deadline of April 1st for the contracts to be signed, or else they’ll order the mandatory Daniel Dubois to be called for Usyk’s next title defense.
Fury is likely holding out, waiting for Anthony Joshua’s April 1st fight against Jermaine Franklin to play out so he can make the better-paying match against AJ.
The generational money that Fury can make fighting Joshua in Saudi Arabia would be enormous, and Tyson doesn’t want to put that massive payday at risk by going up against a faster, far more athletic Usyk on April 29th.
Fury’s family would be wealthy beyond belief if he faced Joshua in the Middle East with his unbeaten record still intact. It would be like the Kennedy family-type money Fury could haul in fighting Joshua.
Tyson is likely already counting the loot inside his head, thinking of the mansions he can acquire and the beautiful property he can buy in the UK.
Usyk could make Fury look bad and spoil the money he would add to his already enormous fortune, which is currently estimated at a cool $65 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. There’s the potential of Fury making over $100 million+ fighting Joshua in the Middle East.
WBA gives Fury a deadline
With that kind of money hanging in the balance, why on earth would Fury want to fight Usyk and get schooled by him in the same way AJ was?
Usyk v. Fury update: @WBABoxing deadline to receive signed bout contracts is April 1st. Otherwise the Dobouis mandatory negotiations will be ordered.
— Gilberto J Mendoza (@GilberticoWBA) March 19, 2023
The points for agreement were sent to Fury’s side. The deadline is set. The clock is ticking. The ball is on #Greedybelly’s side now. We did everything in our power to make it happen @Tyson_Fury
— Oleksandr Usyk (@usykaa) March 18, 2023
Fury is clearly dragging his feet on the Usyk fight, knowing what’s at stake if he were to face the more talented fighter.
Yesterday, IBF, WBA & WBO heavyweight champion Usyk (20-0, 13 KOs) gave “Greedy belly” Fury (33-0-1, 24 KOs) a deadline for him to accept the “points for agreement.”
For some reason, Usyk didn’t say what the deadline is, but it would be reasonable to assume it’s around the same time as the April 1st deadline set by the WBA.
Some believe that WBC champion Fury doesn’t fancy the Usyk fight, as the money doesn’t match the goldmine he’d get fighting Anthony Joshua or Francis Ngannou.
Fury will fill his bank account with loads of dough fighting Joshua and Ngannou, and there’s less risk going up against those guys than fighting a mover like Usyk.
The aging Fury, who appears much older than his chronological age of 34, would have fits trying to get his mitts on the superior conditioned Eastern European fighter Usyk.
At this point in his career, Fury resembles a 45-year-old, and he doesn’t-have the legs and the mobility to move around the ring trying to get to Usyk so that he can grab him & begin with the leaning bit that he now uses 24/7 in his fights.