TYSON FURY has been set a March deadline for his undisputed heavyweight title fight with Oleksandr Usyk.
Talks for The Gypsy King to face the undefeated Ukrainian early next year are currently ongoing but have yet to bear fruit.
REUTERSTyson Fury is currently in negotiations to face Oleksandr Usyk next year[/caption]
Talks, however, have so far failed to bear fruitJAMIE MCPHILIMEY
[email protected]’s promoter Alexander Krassyuk has set a March 4 deadline for the fight[/caption]
The historic bout is currently in the works for late February, but Team Usyk insist they’ll move on to a different fight if the bout doesn’t take place before March 4.
Promoter Alexander Krassyuk said: “This fight happens till [the] 4th of March or it never happens.”
He added: “Both parties [have] agreed to fight.
“Should happen before March 4th. Location: Any place in the universe.”
WBC heavyweight king Fury, 34, suggested the mouth-watering showdown could be delayed due to a linger elbow injury.
But Team Usyk are adamant the fight can go ahead as currently planned as the Wythenshawe warrior is “safe and sound.”
Like Usyk’s rematch with Anthony Joshua, the lucrative showdown is expected to land in the Middle East.
But there’s an outside chance it could take place in the UK as a site deal has yet to be finalised.
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Krassyuk said: “If Saudi want to grab it, they have to be faster.
“Otherwise it will land elsewhere (I.E Emirates, Qatar or UK).”
Despite being at a massive size disadvantage, former undisputed king Usyk ran rings around AJ in their back-to-back fights.
And Krassuyk is confident the slick southpaw will do the same thing to man mountain Fury, saying: “Usyk never loses to Fury.”
Fury, however, is adamant he’ll wipe the floor with the former undisputed cruiserweight champ, who he’s repeatedly branded a “blown-up middleweight.”
GettyFury insists Usyk will be easier to beat than old rival Derek Chisora[/caption]
He told iFL TV: “I don’t think it is a tough fight: “I don’t think it’s nowhere near as tough as old Del Boy [Derek Chisora].
“He will not stand up to those punches that Derek did against me.
“When I watch the fight between him and Derek, whether people want to admit it or not, it was a 50/50 fight.
“It might have been 55/45, but it wasn’t a landslide.
“It wasn’t like he didn’t win a round, like he didn’t against me.”