The biggest fights require concessions and compromise - How Fury vs Usyk fell apart

Who will be the next Undisputed Heavyweight Champion?

The arranged fight between Gypsy King Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk next month in Wembley has broken down.

The WBC emphasised their disappointment at the failure to make the undisputed heavyweight title fight now: “This window of opportunity will not be there in a long time, it will be difficult to have everything aligned”

On one side of the ring is Fury, the WBC heavyweight champion and last April he beat mandatory challenger Dillian Whyte before defeating Derek Chisora in December.

On the other side of the ring is Usyk, the Ukrainian won the WBA, WBO and IBF belts in 2021 and defended them in his August rematch with Anthony Joshua, but will soon have his own mandatory challengers to deal with.

The last undisputed heavyweight champion was Lennox Lewis, all the way back in 19992000. Following Fury’s dismantling of Chisora at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium the Brit looked in pole position to be crowned an undisputed champion. Wembley Stadium was to be the site, 29 April was to be the date.

The hard-hitting former champion Deontay Wilder has told boxing fans that they “can’t be surprised” after yet another high profile heavyweight title fight fell by the wayside.

Fury and Usyk had appeared to publicly agree to terms for the bout, including a lopsided 70/30 split in favour of the Brit on top of his home country advantage and no rematch clause. But there ended up being a rematch put into final contracts, and it was the split for that bout which cost them the contest.

Frank Warren later told Talksport that the issue had been over a purse split for a potential rematch, but added: “We want the fight, why can’t it be overcome?”

Right at the eleventh hour Alex Krassyuk; Usyk’s promoter, called into a radio show where Frank Warren; Fury’s promoter, was discussing proceedings during the week. Despite positive talks, ultimately a deal could not be reached between the two camps, the Ukrainian left his training camp in Turkey to return to war-torn Kyiv. For 36 year old Usyk, he already has a plan B: instead he will take on 25 year old Daniel Dubois for a mandatory WBA title defence. Initially, promoter Warren insisted that the fight could still be revived but his efforts may have all been all too late. For his fighter it is unclear. The 34 year old WBC champion has talked up the possibility of a fourth clash with Deontay Wilder yet there seems to be little appetite for that fight as there was for Fury vs Chisora 3. Will this fight be categorised in the same folder as Fury vs Joshua or will it prosper into one of the biggest and greatest heavyweight fights of all time?

For the meantime, Fury may have to realise that the biggest fights require concessions and compromise.