Oleksandr Usyk’s promoter, Alexander Krassyuk, has admitted to WBN his ongoing doubts over an undisputed clash with Tyson Fury.
Those worries come from a continued delay from Fury over the event taking place, which Krassyuk states is four times and counting.
Usyk’s career is on hold until he finally gets Fury inside the ropes, with a date in December turning into February before the latest marker of May 18. The Saudi Arabia blockbuster has everything in place, apart from the rock-solid notion that Fury will hold up his end of the bargain.
Saudi Chairman Turki Alalshikh has warned Fury that he faces a $10 million penalty if he pulls out of the headlining Pay Per View again. However, Krassyuk still cannot take punishment as gospel, and “The Gypsy King” won’t carry on his current trend.
Speaking to WBN in an interview about the fight, the subject turned to when the contracted rematch might happen. Krassyuk answered the first question but was cautious about being too committed to the return when Usyk still hadn’t gotten Fury into the ring in the first place.
“Theoretically, the rematch should happen before the end of 2024. However, we all know that Tyson is not the world’s best’ rematch-er,'”Krassyuk told World Boxing News. “And after he loses to Usyk in the first bout, you cannot predict his behavior at all.
“I say this, but I have no guarantee that the first fight ever takes place. The man has withdrawn four times in a row already. We have even decided to stop all the jokes and criticisms towards Luke to support his confidence. So if there is anything else we can do to help him get in the ring with Usyk, we are ready to do that.”
Asked whether there’s a contingency plan in place if Fury does suffer another ailment, Krassyuk added: “Usyk’s goal is to get the fourth heavyweight belt and to complete the undisputed. After accomplishing this mission other options can be regarded.”
In addition, Krassyuk had ruled out the possibility of facing Anthony Joshua for a third time in a previous conversation segment.
“One more thing that makes their third fight less probable is the sequence of the mandatories. As we all know, the next stop of the carousel is IBF, not the WBC. No matter who wins, the rematch will go on next, as we will enforce it. And even if the IBF let it [the mandatory] go, after the second fight – the IBF is next in line, not the WBC.”
Fury vs Usyk is less than three months away. Everybody in the sport had their fingers crossed that both boxers stay healthy until the first bell.
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