Have you given up all hope of ever seeing a four-belt heavyweight unification clash between rival champions Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury? With all that’s gone on – lots of talking, lots of demands and terms put out by Fury, with no movement on actually getting the fight over the line – nobody could blame you if you have moved on. However, Team-Usyk, in one last effort at salvaging the fight we all want to see, are to send Fury a “take it or leave it” offer.
As fans have read, Usyk recently signed a deal with Saudi based organisation Skills Challenge Entertainment, and now, as per IFL TV who he spoke with, Alex Krassyuk has said Fury will be sent one final offer to accept the fight.
“According to my knowledge [Fury] will receive a formal written offer very soon and it will be Tyson’s decision whether to take it or leave it,” Krassyuk said. “We’ve done everything possible to make this fight happen and the ball is in on Tyson’s side. It’s an offer to take it or leave it. If you take then you have the biggest fight of your career. If you hesitate or try to trade out something or try to swing around, it shows that you’re not serious. And you have the relinquish the belt and retire, not for one month or one week, as you used to retire recently, but probably forever.”
So, it does appear as though the ball really is in Fury’s court. Will Fury accept this final offer, or will the WBC heavyweight champ refuse, for whatever reason, to play ball? Does Fury really want to fight Usyk? Usyk has shown us that he wants the fight, accepting as he did Fury’s possible bluff of an offer of a 70/30 purse split in his (Fury’s) favour.
Now, we fans, as weary as we are due to all the nonsense that has surrounded this fight, just want to see it happen. It’s up to Fury. In the meantime, however, Usyk must come through his August 26 fight with Daniel Dubois without a hitch. As we know, anything can happen when two heavyweights get in the ring and fight.
