14 February 2023 , 09:28
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Tyson Fury has been told by Oleksandr Usyk's promoter he must accept a 50-50 split for their undisputed heavyweight world title fight.
The heavyweight champions are set to compete with for all the marbles this spring, with April 29 the working date for their title clash. Fury and Usyl came face-to-face at the Brit's one-sided win against Derek Chisora last December to promote their showdown, which has already been delayed once from last year as Usyk opted to take a break from the ring.
Usyk has held three heavyweight belts since winning the titles against Anthony Joshua in September 2021, defending them against 'AJ' in their rematch last August. The Ukrainian's promoter Alex Krassyuk has refused to reveal specifics of their negotiations with Fury's team but insists both fighters must share 50 per cent of the revenue split each.
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“I can’t really say anything in particular because we’re in the middle of negotiations,” Krassyuk told Boxing Scene. “I can say for sure if it’s a fair deal when it comes to the unification—which is the undisputed unification, where one fighter has three belts and the other has one belt a 50-50 split sounds fair. It sounds more fair than it should be.
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“If Tyson accepts this fair condition, it means he’s a real warrior and he really wants to fight not just for money but for heritage, for legacy and for four belts in the biggest fight in heavyweight history at Wembley stadium. Why not? End of April, beginning of May, perfect timing, but it has to be fair. As long as I’m representing Usyk, I will fight for fair conditions.”
Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury face-off in the ring (Top Rank via Getty Images)Fury and Usyk have continued to trade verbal barbs on social media over the past weeks, with Usyk labelling his rival "belly" in response to Fury's criticism of his physique. 'The Gypsy King' has been dismissive of Usyk's skills despite the former undisputed cruiserweight champion's flawless record, even insisting Chisora was a tougher challenge than the Ukrainian would be.
"I don't think it is a tough fight," Fury told iFL TV of a potential showdown with Usyk. "I don't think it's nowhere near as tough as old Del Boy (Chisora). He will not stand up to those punches that Derek did against me. When I watch the fight between him and Derek, whether people want to admit it or not, it was a 50/50 fight. It might have been 55/45, but it wasn't a landslide. It wasn't like he didn't win a round, like he didn't against me."