WBN Fighter of the Year for 2022, Oleksandr Usyk, is set to lay an undisputed challenge down to Tyson Fury at Tottenham Stadium in London on Saturday night.
Usyk, who flew in from Ukraine on Friday, accepted the WBN trophy before settling into his hotel. The unified heavyweight champion will now be ringside as Fury takes on Derek Chisora in a trilogy.
Alongside manager Alexander Krassyuk, Usyk will give Fury a solid offer to put their belts together and crown the first undisputed king since Lennox Lewis.
Undisputed challenge
Fury will be told of Usyk’s availability for a massive Middle Eastern battle between February and March next year.
The undefeated WBC champion can either accept the challenge or not. If the answer is no, Usyk will move on to an IBF mandatory clash with Filip Hrgovic.
Defending his crown this Saturday live on ESPN+ at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Fury will be under pressure to perform in front of his main rival.
Usyk is the current Pound for Pound king due to his exploits at cruiserweight and the top division. This also means he’s the number one heavyweight in the world.
It could be strange for Fury to have such an occurrence, as it won’t often happen to the two-time champion.
For now, it’s Chisora. An opponent Fury should easily beat – as he has done on two occasions.
Since their second meeting, Fury went on to topple Wladimir Klitschko for the heavyweight title. He then participated in a historic trilogy against Deontay Wilder before packing a UK-record 94,000 fans into Wembley Stadium for his April 2022 showdown against Dillian Whyte.
Chisora is one of Britain’s most loved fighters. However, his time passed. His only meaningful win in many years was a victory over an overcooked Kubrat Pulev.
Even then, Chisora was taken to the edge and only got the nod by a tight split decision. Bookies don’t give “Del Boy” a chance.
Usyk vs Fury
Regarding Usyk vs Fury, Top Rank boss Bob Arum is confident a deal can be made.
“I don’t see any reason why the [Oleksandr] Uysk fight with Tyson Fury can’t be made speedily without much trouble,” confirmed Arum.
“I know the Usyk people very well. His manager, Egis Klimas, is a really good friend of mine. He manages Lomachenko and Janibek.
“I’ve dealt with him a whole lot over the years. I know Oleksandr Usyk. And I know he wants the fight.
“I talked with Tyson a little while ago, and he wants the fight. That fight will happen next unless Mr. Chisora lands his punch.
“Don’t discount Chisora. He is a hell of a fighter. He has a tremendous punch.
“That fight could have gone either way. You can’t, in this business, count your chickens before they hatch.”
