Fury accused of being 'scared' after challenging Usyk to 'up the ante'

By Sports Desk March 13, 2023

Tyson Fury is "scared" to face Oleksandr Usyk after challenging the Ukrainian to "up the ante", promoter Alexander Krassyuk has claimed.

A late turnaround in the past week saw talks reignite between the two heavyweight champions, sparking fresh hope for a fiercely anticipated unification bout.

Usyk took to social media to accept a 70-30 purse split in favour of Fury, with the WBA stating on Friday it had been informed of an agreement.

Wembley is expected to be the venue for the bout, with April 29 a proposed date, and Fury has now urged his rival to make the fight a one-off event.

Posting a video on social media, he said: "I've been speaking to the lawyers, and Usyk's people have been talking about rematch clauses and all that.

"Here's one to up the ante – how about there is no rematch clause for both of us? Let's up the ante completely.

"Never worry about what's in the future or how many more dollars you can get after you've been defeated. Worry about the fight.

"No rematch clause. Winner takes the glory, the loser goes home. How about that? Agree to that."

However, Usyk's promoter Krassyuk accused Fury of being "scared" with his latest demand and suggested the 'Gypsy King' is looking for a way to pull out of a fight.

"As Usyk said, the greedy belly is still hoping to find a way to pull out. We knew before and know it now," he told talkSPORT. "As soon as Usyk accepts a no-rematch clause, there will still be searching for another thing to find and pull out the fight.

"I tell you why. He bluffed and Usyk called his bluff. This is 100 per cent. He didn't expect Usyk to accept [a 70-30 split].

"He was not in a training camp, and we saw the next morning the theatrical performance that he was pretending to jog and fight someone in the ring.

"It's all about nothing. He's not prepared and scared to fight. He will try to find a way to avoid Usyk for as long as possible.

"We don't trust him, we don't believe him. One more thing to know, when we started the negotiations, Fury's side was the first to ask for the rematch. Fury were the first to ask for the rematch, and we supported this."

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    Tyson Fury's rematch with Oleksandr Usyk will take place in Riyadh on December 21, according to the chair of Saudi Arabia's general entertainment authority Turki Alalshikh.

    Earlier this month, Usyk beat Fury by virtue of a split decision to become the first undisputed world heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis held the WBC, WBA and IBF belts from November 1999 to April 2000.

    It was the first defeat of Fury's professional career, with two judges scoring the fight 115-112 and 114-113 in favour of Usyk, and the third scoring it 114-113 to Fury.

    Fury subsequently described it as "one of the daftest decisions in boxing" and said a second bout would take place in October, with both fighters confirmed as holding a rematch clause in advance of the first fight.

    That date has now been pushed back, but Fury will get a chance to avenge his loss in December.

    In a post on X on Wednesday, Alalshikh wrote: "The rematch... is now scheduled on the 21 of December 2024 during Riyadh Season.

    "The world will watch another historical fight again. Our commitment to boxing fans continues. We hope you enjoy it."

    On Tuesday, Fury's promoter Frank Warren told Sky Sports he was confident the Gypsy King would bounce back. 

    "I spoke to him [Fury] after the fight and obviously when he got back just to make sure he's okay. He was very disappointed but very philosophical," Warren said.

    "It was a fabulous fight, two absolute gladiators who didn't leave anything in the ring in an epic fight, the most important fight of the 21st century. It was a very, very close fight and I think it will be an even bigger one next time."

  • 'I believe I won' - Fury loses historic undisputed championship to Usyk 'I believe I won' - Fury loses historic undisputed championship to Usyk

    Tyson Fury voiced his frustration after suffering the first defeat of his career to Oleksandr Usyk in their undisputed world heavyweight title fight in Saudi Arabia.

    Usyk won by split decision to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis, and the first to unite all four belts.

    The scorecards read 115-112 and 114-113 in favour of Usyk, while a third judge scored 114-113 to Fury.

    After an even start, the momentum shifted in a brilliant ninth round for the Ukrainian as he caught Fury with a left hook, forcing the referee to give him a standing count before the bell saved him from a further onslaught.

    A defiant Fury was not happy with the result, suggesting that Usyk received a sympathy vote from the judges.

    "I believe I won that fight," he said in the ring. "I believe he won a few of the rounds, but I won the majority.

    "His country is at war, so people are siding with the country at war. Make no mistake, I won that fight, in my opinion.

    "It was one of the daftest decisions in boxing. We run it back in October. I'm not going to sit here and cry and make excuses."

    Usyk remained undefeated as he took Fury’s WBC belt to add to his WBA, WBO and IBF collection.

    "Thank you so much for my team. It's a big opportunity for my family, for my country," an emotional Usyk said afterwards. "I'm very happy.

    "My people will be very happy. I think it's a big win, not only for me, it's a big win for my country, for soldiers who now defend my country.

    "I think my father now is watching over me and is very happy. Dad, I love you. I can, you told me I can."

  • John Fury appears to headbutt member of Team Usyk ahead of undisputed bout John Fury appears to headbutt member of Team Usyk ahead of undisputed bout

    Tyson Fury's father John Fury was left with a nasty cut on his face after appearing to headbutt a member of Oleksandr Usyk's entourage at a pre-fight media day on Monday.

    WBC belt-holder Fury will face Usyk for the undisputed world heavyweight title in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday, with both men defending undefeated professional records.

    With both fighters and their camps present at a hotel in the city for media duties on Monday, the build-up to their bout – the most eagerly anticipated in the heavyweight division in recent years – got off to a chaotic start.

    Fury's father was pictured with blood running down his forehead after becoming involved in an altercation with a man wearing a Team Usyk tracksuit.

    Widely shared footage on social media appeared to show him headbutting the man, who then had to be restrained by other members of Usyk's entourage.

    It was later reported that the Saudi Arabian authorities were aware of the incident but did not plan to take any action.    

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