Via Barry Holbrook: Oleksandr Usyk’s manager, Egis Klimas, says they are “done” in negotiations to fight WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury in early 2023.
Now, they’re just waiting for the moody Fury (32-0-1, 23 KOs), whom IBF, WBA & WBO champion Usyk (20-0, 13 KOs) refers to as a “Borracho [drunkard]. “
If Fury messes up negotiations with Usyk similar to how he ruined his talks with Anthony Joshua, we won’t have an undisputed clash early next year.
Usyk wants to fight Fury, but he clearly has a backup plan in case the negotiations go awry. Deontay Wilder and Canelo Alvarez are two attractive options for 2012 Olympic gold medalist Usyk if he can set up a fight with Fury.
Deontay is very interested in fighting Usyk, but it’s unclear if Canelo feels the same way.
“Everything is done from our side. Everything. So there’s only one guy who can say, ‘Yes, we’ll go,’ and that’s Fury,” Egis Klimas told Secondsout on the negotiations between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.
“Then we’ll go and unify the titles with Chisora,” Klimas said when asked what would happen if Derek Chisora upset Fury on December 3.
“Boxing is boxing. Once you can beat, once you can lose, once you can draw, and all sorts of different things are happening.
“We’ll think about it,” Klimas said when asked if Usyk would retire if he beat Fury to become the undisputed champion. “How about we skip all the titles and go back and get all the cruisers titles?
“As Oleksandr said in his interviews, ‘Fury is Borracho [drunkard]’” Klimas said when asked if he found it difficult to negotiate with Fury due to his mood swings.
“I’m used to it already. It has no news. Size difference, of course. It doesn’t benefit Usyk. He is a giant. Don’t disregard it. He is a good fighter. First of all, he is a talented fighter.
“Secondly, he has a good boxing IQ. So he’s a very, very dangerous fighter. Much respect to Anthony [Joshua] always. Before the fight, after the fight, during the fight. He was a bit loose after the second game, but that’s okay.
“The bigger guy was beaten by the smaller guy, so, of course, he wasn’t happy. That’s understandable,” said Klimas.
