Usyk signs with Skills Challenge, hopes to fight Tyson Fury

By Boxing News - 06/03/2023 - Comments

By Jake Tiernan: Oleksandr Usyk has signed a multi-fight contract with Skills Challenge Promotion of Saudi Arabia, and he hopes that the signing will lead to him facing WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury for the undisputed championship this December.

(Photo credit: Skills Challenge Promotion)

If the Fury fight can’t be made due to Tyson pricing himself out, IBF/WBA/WBO champion Usyk (20-0, 13 KOs0 has other options, possibly his IBF mandatory Filip Hrgovic.

Eddie Hearn says Fury asked for a cool $120 million for the Usyk fight, and the Saudis said NO to his demands, leaving him where he’s at now, sitting idle, seeming bitter.

Unless Fury comes down to earth to a figure that the Saudis feel is more fitting to his worth as a draw, Usyk will be facing another heavyweight in December in Saudi Arabia.

First things first, Usyk must defend against his WBA mandatory Daniel Dubois next on August 26th in a fight that doesn’t figure to be a walk in the park for him, but one that he should win.

Fury is trying to line up a tune-up fight to get himself ready for December, but it’s unknown if his promoters will find him someone that will pay enough to meet his high standards for his purse.

“I think Deontay Wilder,” said Oleksandr Uyk to Secondsout when asked who is the tougher fight for him between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder.

“We are quite confident that Skills Challenge is capable of organizing this historical event, the fight between Oleksandr, the unified heavyweight champion, and the WBC champion Tyson Fury,” said Oleksandr Usyk to Boxing King Media.

“The last message to Tyson Fury. Greedy belly, I love you, you boracha,” said Usyk.

“Besides the big corporation that we might go to have in the future, this fight stays the priority for all of us, for the whole world, and I’m going to come back again to purify with regard to signing the Skills Challenge,” Usyk said.

“He’s a young kid, not a kid. He’s a young man he’s the regular WBA champion, and you cannot look at him like he is number two or number three,” Usyk said about Daniel Dubois.

“He’s my next opponent, so he is number one for me, and he’s my highest priority you cannot prepare yourself for the next fight for 70, 75, or 50 percent. You have to get 150 for the next fight, no matter who you’re fighting. That’s what I’m going to do.

“He’s a great fighter and a great personality, and who are those
people who judge him? Who are the judges? Have they ever entered the ring? Have they ever trained and felt that pain? They have no right to say so,” said Usyk about the critics of Anthony Joshua.

“If you want to talk about the fighter, you have to at least once in your life get into the ring and get a sparring session at least for one round for three minutes then you will have the right,” said Usyk.

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