Frank Warren reveals he could pull out of negotiations for Tyson Fury’s proposed April bout with Oleksandr Usyk as soon as FRIDAY with the veteran promoter intimating issues over financial agreements
- Fans been waiting months for confirmation of a heavyweight unification bout
- Frank Warren suggested talks for proposed April 29 bout could end on Friday
- The veteran promoter intimated that financial settlements were hindering deal
Veteran promoter Frank Warren has said Friday at the end of this week is his cut off point for negotiations for a world heavyweight unification bout between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.
Fans have been on tenterhooks for months over the proposed bout, pencilled in for April 29, though recent rumblings have suggested a breakdown in communication between the parties.
Warren, who represents Fury, told TalkSport on Tuesday that it was some way from being done, suggesting one or both of the fighters involved had yet to agree.
Asked why negotiations had been consistently delayed, Warren refused to go into the details but said: ‘You need the agreement of both boxers to make it happen and at the moment we haven’t got that, so that’s where we’re at.’
‘We’re working hard to make it happen,’ Warren added. ‘And, with the greatest respect, I didn’t ring TalkSport to do an interview about it, you rang me.
Frank Warren has admitted talks for Fury – Usyk could end as soon as Friday amid contract disputes
Tyson Fury had been set to fight the Ukrainian – potentially at Wembley – at the end of April
‘So, out of courtesy I’m telling you where we are, but I’m not going to be conducting negotiations at the moment they’re confidential between the two parties.
‘But, I would say it’s not going to go past the end of this week that’s for sure because the proposed date is April 29.’
Wembley Stadium has been seen as the most likely venue, though Warren’s comments intimated that that in itself was proving difficult.
‘We’re still none the wiser, we’re still waiting for it to be done, it’s all coming to a head now, but it’s still not done,’ he said in response to a question regarding the venue.
Warren intimated that there were concerns over the financial agreements from one or both fighters
Asked by one of the hosts if the Middle East not being on the table for the fight, with both fighters having fought there in recent years, was impacting the negotiations, Warren remained coy.
‘I have a pot and out of that pot I can only pay what’s in it and if it’s not enough money the fight won’t happen, at the end of the day we’re running a business,’ he said.
Fury and Usyk are looking to unify the heavyweight division in a much-anticipated bout. Offering some encouragement to fans that they will one day see the fight, Warren said even if it couldn’t be agreed now, it might be further down the line.
‘To get it agreed the participants will have to agree,’ Warren said. ‘If they agree then they’ll get it and if not we’ll move on and try and do it another time.’
