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The undisputed heavyweight championship could benefit from a marketing boost by being scheduled close to the biggest annual sporting event in America.
According to Mark Kriegel of ESPN, the heavyweight title unification bout between WBC champion Tyson Fury of England and WBO, WBA, IBO and IBF champion Oleksandr Usyk of Ukraine may air on the same weekend––or the week after––of the NFL’s 57th Super Bowl, with the Middle East as the “most likely” location for the fight.
Kriegel, citing unnamed sources and conversations with Bob Arum, the head of Top Rank which promotes Fury, sounded a note of optimism about the chances for seeing the historic match-up, especially because, according to Kriegel, there does not appear to be any disagreement regarding the purse split for the fighters. An Usyk-Fury fight would have to be televised by ESPN, as the network has an exclusive broadcasting arrangement with Top Rank.
“It’s going to happen,” Kriegel said during Saturday’s ESPN broadcast of the Jose Pedraza vs. Richard Commey lightweight bout. “How do I know this? What’s the source of contention in the lead-up to every big fight? The purse split.
“Is it 70-30, 60-40? This one is going to be 50-50. I spoke to Bob Arum today. He said that is a given. My other sources agree. So, we have one point of contention completely out of the way, or supposedly. That’s welcome news, proof to me the fight’s going to happen.”
“Now as to when?” Kriegel continued. “You may have seen reports this week that the Saudis want to host it in December. Don’t hold your breath on that. Quote, ‘highly unlikely,’ according to Arum and others I spoke to.
“Likely date now: February, Super Bowl weekend, or maybe the week after, probably the Mid[dle] East, but not necessarily Saudi Arabia. Remember, there’s also Abu Dhabi, could be a player, Qatar could be a player, and still an outside shot that the UK gets it.”
Talk of Usyk-Fury has intensified ever since Usyk successfully defended his WBO, WBA, and IBF titles against London’s Anthony Joshua earlier this month in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Usyk, who beat Joshua by unanimous decision in the first fight last September, came away with a split decision win. After the fight, Usyk called out Fury to an undisputed showdown. Fury, in turn, seemed to reciprocate the same desire, despite recently calling himself retired.
Fury’s British promoter, Frank Warren, has also stated that he is hopeful the fight can be made since Usyk does not have any exclusive ties to a promoter or network that could make negotiations difficult. Usyk’s tenure under Matchroom Boxing ended with the second Joshua fight. Usyk, the former undisputed cruiserweight champion, is backed by his Ukrainian promoter Alexander Krassyuk, while his manager is Egis Klimas, who has several fighters under contract with Arum’s Top Rank, including three-division Ukrainian titlist Vasiliy Lomachenko.
Warren has stated that the UK could be a possible home for the fight, but only if London’s Wembley Stadium is available. Kriegel, however, stated that Wembley, an outdoor arena, simply could not be an option for a fight taking place in the dead of winter, if in fact the UK emerges as a serious frontrunner.
“It will not be in Wembley,” Kriegel said. “Don’t listen to that stuff. It’s winter. You know, you need to protect the fighters from the elements. That would be an 80,000 indoor seat arena in Cardiff (Wales)—if it’s the UK.”