Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk have agreed to have a bout early next year to decide the undisputed heavyweight world championship.
The heavyweights are set to fight for the title of unified heavyweight champion according to Bob Arum, who sent a thinly-veiled jibe at Anthony Joshua by claiming the fight would be between ‘two adults’ after a fight between the Brits disintegrated earlier this year.
Usyk’s manager had claimed that the fight could take place on March 4, and Fury remains adamant that he will ‘take out’ the Ukrainian heavyweight if they face off next year.
Sky Sports report that both fighters are intent on seeing the bout materialise, and neither will accept another fight until they face off in the ring.
‘The two fighters have agreed to fight each other next,’ Arum told Sky Sports.
‘With Fury and Usyk we’re dealing with two adults, not a lot of [rubbish] back and forth.
‘Usyk is a good friend of mine, he’s very intelligent and Tyson is Superman, both as an athlete and as an intellect.
‘So they want the fight. Both of them want the fight and so there’ll be very little, if any, [messing] around. So we’ll be able to make that happen.
‘I’m very, very confident. As I said the fighters have both agreed to fight each other next without any interim fights.’
An exact date and location for the fight is yet to be decided, although both fighters are keen for the clash to come in early 2023.
The Ukrainian’s manager claimed that the collision should come no later than March 4, and added that the sooner the fight comes ‘the better’.
Arum added that a venue for the surely highly lucrative encounter is still yet to be decided, with the Middle East strong suitors to play host as well as the UK.
