Oleksandr Usyk says the Tyson Fury fight has to happen on December 23 in Saudi Arabia

By Declan Warrington

Oleksandr Usyk and his promoter Alex Krassyuk have responded to ideas of a postponement of his fight with Tyson Fury by insisting that they count on the date of December 23 to be honoured.

The mixture of how unexpectedly tough Fury discovered Saturday’s fight with the combined martial artist Francis Ngannou, on the event of Ngannou’s skilled debut, and the disappointing situation in which Fury arrived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia has most just lately led to Fury’s promoter Frank Warren saying that Fury-Usyk will as a substitute happen in 2024.

With Usyk and Krassyuk in attendance Fury was knocked down in the third spherical earlier than being awarded a controversial cut up choice by way of scores of 96-93, 95-94 and 94-95. Warren is adamant that Fury stays dedicated to what – notably on the proof offered by Ngannou – may show the most tough date of his profession and that he due to this fact “needs protecting him from himself” and a interval of relaxation earlier than a simpler coaching camp.

Usyk, who had already began making ready for December 23 and his most tough opponent in Spain, has regardless reminded Fury of the contract he signed to fight him – and Krassyuk that Fury dangers “legal consequences” if he doesn’t.

“It has to take place on the 23rd of December, in Riyadh, in Saudi Arabia,” the Ukrainian, at 36 narrowly older than his 35-year-old rival, stated. “We have it in contract – on paper.

“It did disturb me [watching Fury-Ngannou unfold]. It did disturb me – I used to be frightened lots. [But] I’d give a most of three rounds to Ngannou.

“Frank Warren used to talk a lot of things, blaming me for something that never happened. And, you know what? We have a contract – and the contract says that the fight has to take place on the 23rd of December, no matter what.”

It was introduced after affirmation of Fury-Ngannou that Fury had additionally since signed to fight Usyk in what stays the most important fight that may be made. His doing so adopted prolonged durations of hypothesis and frustration stemming from their earlier negotiations coming to little, and Krassyuk – who scored him the winner over Ngannou by some extent – stated: “In his thoughts he can [delay the fight], however legally he’s obliged to fight Oleksandr on the twenty third. He will undergo authorized penalties.

“If we’re accountable – by ‘we’ I imply our crew and Fury’s crew – if we’re accountable individuals and we maintain our phrase, and we maintain what we’ve got signed on paper, we’ve got to adjust to what’s on paper. The world needs to see the undisputed heavyweight championship, not simply the conflict between Tyson and Usyk. They need to see the fight between Tyson and Usyk for the undisputed Oleksandr Usyk says the Tyson Fury fight has to happen on December 23 in Saudi Arabia. That’s what has to happen on the twenty third.

“If you hear to what my colleague Frank Warren began to say in the media, and instantly in the ring, they’re considering of extending the time for Tyson. But this fight was made between the fighters, not between the promoters.

“This fight was made by Tyson’s supervisor and Usyk’s supervisor, the place they met first in New York, after which all of us got here to London and agreed on the circumstances. Egis Klimas is Tyson Fury’s supervisor, and Spencer Brown is Tyson Fury’s supervisor. So it was Tyson’s choice, and he gave his consent for the twenty third, as a result of he needed to fight as incessantly as doable.

“Though we respect Fury as the [WBC] champ, we can’t really claim he’s a man of his word, according to what we had in the past. The good thing is that we have it on paper. Of course he can use any kind of excuse – that he got injured; he got cut; he got tired, or whatever – but this is the point where the commitment has to be executed.”