Frank Warren has moved to allay any fears that Tyson Fury’s fight with Oleksandr Usyk is in danger of not happening, insisting: “It’ll be on!”
Both Fury and Usyk have agreed a 70/30 purse split for the eagerly-anticipated heavyweight bout but the WBC champion demanding the Ukrainian should not be allowed a rematch clause in the contract.
IBF, WBO and WBA champion Usyk bit back at Fury’s claims on Monday morning, insisting the rematch demands came from the ‘Gypsy King’s side.
Usyk’s promoter, Alexander Krassyuk, also expressed his doubts over whether the match-up will take place in an exclusive interview with talkSPORT on Monday.
Krassyuk also accused Fury of trying to ‘find a way to pull out’, something Warren has also disputed, saying his fighter has ‘massive balls’.
“Both boxers have agreed to a split and it’ll be on,” Warren said on Monday’s Drive.
“It’s just a matter of contracts but they’re not going to be a problem. I know we’ll get this on.
“From Tyson’s perspective he’s just putting it out there and putting it on the table, asking why he [Usyk] wants a rematch.”
On Krassyuk’s claims Fury is avoiding the fight, Warren said: “If he was going to avoid the fight he’d just say, ‘I’m the WBC champion, you get on with your lives, I’ll get on with mine.’
“To say that Tyson would avoid any fight; this is the guy that went to Germany to fight Wladimir Klitschko, who at his time was the best heavyweight of his generation, had no problem going over there and actually won the fight. This is the guy that went off to the United States not once but three times to fight the hardest puncher in the heavyweight division.
“Please, the one thing about Tyson is that he’s got balls… just massive balls. There’s no problem with him doing the fight.
“Secondly, he trains religiously every day… he’s as fit as a butcher’s dog. You’ve only got to look at him, see recent photos of him and you can see how fit he is. He’s ready to go.
“Where we are now from where we were on Friday, when everybody was writing this off and saying it’s not going to happen, is that both boxers have agreed the terms and respective camps and lawyers are now working on to get the agreement drafted so that we can officially announce it.
“I’m telling you, this fight will be on.”
When asked if there’s a rematch clause in the contract, Warren said: “At the moment there’s a draft contract flowing between our two respective sides and we’re addressing each point.
“Most of it’s agreed, there are a couple of points in there to be sorted out but they’ll be done.
“I’ve said this from the beginning, we’ll get this fight over the line. We’ve been working hard to do it and we will get it over the line.
“Both fighters want it. It’s not a question of Usyk wanting it and Tyson not wanting it. Tyson wants the fight, he’s the one that put it out there and said ‘come on, let’s get it on. Here are the terms.’”
Warren added: “It’s only when the contract’s signed, that’ll be the final contract.”
Even if an agreement is signed the chaos over the negotiations have cast doubt over whether it will happen on touted date April 29.
“They’re both in training so there’s no reason why it shouldn’t go on [on April 29],” Warren said.
And the Queensberry Promotions head also revealed that the fight will be happening close to home.
He said: “It will be at Wembley. At one stage there was the expectation level that it was going to go on in Saudi Arabia but they came back and said they want to have their stadium built.
“There was also an expectation level that they would pay a premium to bring the fight over to Saudi; that’s not happened.
“We’re living in a real world and dealing with reality and the reality is the next biggest place for this fight to take place is in the UK and the biggest venue in the UK is in London, which is Wembley.
He later added: “Both sides have agreed it’s Wembley.
“Usyk in his heart I’m sure would like to fight in Ukraine but that’s impossible with what’s going on there.”
