TYSON FURY has been told he NEEDS to fight Oleksandr Usyk – by the Ukrainian himself.
The Gypsy King and fellow world champ are set to face off in a historic bout to unify the heavyweight division.
ReutersTyson Fury is set to square off with Oleksandr Usyk[/caption]
Usyk has claimed they both ‘need’ the fightGetty
ReutersA bout would see the heavyweight division unified[/caption]
Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk – Date, live stream, TV channel and all you need to know about heavyweight bout
However, negotiations surrounding the fight are not progressing well after they failed to secure a site in Saudi Arabia.
Fury‘s promoter Frank Warren has even suggested the fight could be scrapped altogether.
But Usyk believes the clash is what they both need.
Speaking to Gary Neville on The Overlap, he said: “I just need this fight and that’s it. I think he needs it to.
“This fight is very important for both of us because all belts haven’t been held by one person for 30 years in the heavyweight division.
“So both of us need this fight.”
As it stands, Fury has the WBC and Lineal heavyweight championships to his name.
Meanwhile, Usyk holds the IBF, WBA and WBO heavyweight belts, as well as the Ring Magazine heavyweight title.
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Usyk, 36 held on to his belts after beating Anthony Joshua for a second time in August.
The list of those who have united the division includes boxing greats such as Mike Tyson, Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier and George Foreman.
Britain’s Lennox Lewis was the last man to hold the title of undisputed heavyweight champion – beating Evander Holyfield to unify the belts in 1999.