Joe Joyce is ready to step in and face either Tyson Fury or Oleksandr Usyk if the pair cannot settle on the terms of their heavyweight unification bout.

Fury, the WBC title-holder, and Usyk, who possesses the WBO, WBA (Super) and IBF crowns, have been seeking to agree terms for a fight on April 29.

Negotiations have stalled on multiple occasions however, while the pair have sparred verbally throughout, though it appears Fury will now take a 70-30 purse split.

WBO interim heavyweight champion Joyce, who is arguably the strongest mandatory challenger to either man, would be happy to square off if a deal falls through, though he would prefer to face an ultimate winner.

"It's [been] kind of dragging on a bit," he told Sky Sports' Toe2Toe podcast. "Fury's got 70 per cent [so] I guess it's happening now.

"He's started camp, [and] I would imagine Usyk's already in camp. Maybe he knows something we don't. Possibly, [I could fight one of them]. I guess it's a good back-up plan."

Reiterating he would prefer to wait though, the Briton added: "That would be something, wouldn't it? There's been a lot of rematch clauses of late. They drag on, don't they?

"It's quite refreshing to hear that there isn't one for this fight. I can jump in afterwards [and] fight the winner. I'm confident in my abilities and I think it would be a great fight against either of them."

On a preferred opponent, Joyce admitted an all-British clash thrilled him, adding: "I really like the sound of the Fury fight. Can you imagine? Undisputed has a nice ring to it."

Manny Pacquiao is set to come out of retirement for the second time, with a welterweight bout against Conor Benn on the cards.

The Filipino, who announced he was quitting the sport once again in August 2021, looks poised to be the opponent for the Briton's comeback bout.

Benn, who saw a fight with Chris Eubank Jr postponed after he tested positive for a banned substance in October, was reinstated to the WBC rankings earlier this year.

Now Pacquiao, who stepped back after a defeat to Yordenis Ugas in order to run for the Philippines presidency in last year's election, could be his return opponent, per his promoter Sean Gibbobs.

"He retired for a minute to run for President of the Philippines, where he took a respectful third place," he told ESPN. 

"After that he felt that his retirement was due to running for president, and now that [he wasn't elected], he wants to fight again and feels like he can do it at the highest level.

"Manny is an all-time great and he feels like he still has a lot of fight left in him and he still wants to compete at the highest level.

"This fight [against Benn] was presented to him by [promoter] Eddie Hearn, and he agreed. [The] ball is in Eddie Hearn's court [but] Pacquiao ready to go."

Widely considered one of the sport's all-time great fighters, Pacquiao held world titles in eight different weight divisions across a 72-fight career, with a 62-8-2 winning record.

He briefly retired in 2016, but returned that same year with a win over Jessie Vargas, and would present a starry opponent for Benn's first fight since April last year.

The Briton remains barred by the British Boxing Board of Control to fight on home soil, with his likely comeback match set to be pencilled in for June 3 in Abu Dhabi.

Hearn acknowledged there were other options for the fight though, adding: "We are in the process of selecting Conor Benn's next opponent and have been in active talks with Manny Pacquiao's team.

"We have had multiple site offers to stage the event and are looking to make an official announcement on Conor's next fight as early as next week."

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."

Tyson Fury deserves credit for not "ducking" any opponent and agreeing to face off against the best fighters, according to his promoter Frank Warren.

An eleventh-hour agreement is reported to have been reached for a fiercely anticipated unification bout between Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.

It seemed a deal would not be agreed, with figures from both camps hinting at an imminent collapse in talks last week, before Usyk publicly offered a 70-30 purse split in Fury's favour.

That got the wheels moving again, with the WBA confirming it had been assured of a deal, before Warren confirmed over the weekend the fight was on – and hailed Fury for going toe-to-toe with the best in his era.

"Everyone wants to see the fight. Everybody should take their hat off to Tyson Fury because he's the only heavyweight since going back to those great glory days of Ali, Foreman and Frazier that has fought the best around of the generations he's been in," he told talkSPORT.

"He's fought against [Wladimir] Klitschko, who was the best of his generation, went to his backyard and beat him. The longest reigning heavyweight in Deontay Wilder – went to the states not once but three times and beat him.

"Now he's stepping up to the guy who has had two wins over Joshua and has three belts.

"You have to take your hat off to Tyson, we talk about Lennox Lewis, but he never fought Riddick Bowe, never fought Mike Tyson until he was well past his best. I'd not taking anything away from Lennox, he was a great fighter. Tyson has fought all these guys at their best.

"Once we get it all finalised… it's great. It's the first time four belts have been on the line. It's the biggest heavyweight fight in goodness knows how many years.

"Both are undefeated and both in their prime. It will be a fantastic event and the highest grossing event ever to take place at Wembley, beating the previous one. I'm not talking about boxing but a one-off event. The previous one was last April again with Tyson.

"He's a megastar and I'm delighted for him. People should acknowledge in him, we've got a fighter who doesn't duck anybody."

Katie Taylor will face off against Chantelle Cameron in Dublin on May 20 in a bid to become a two-weight world champion.

Taylor, the undisputed lightweight champion, was due to meet Amanda Serrano in a rematch on the same date, but the Puerto Rican pulled out due to injury.

Instead, Taylor accepted a bout with Cameron after the English fighter challenged her on social media.

Cameron offered to move up in weight and has now got her shot, which will be the first professional fight Taylor has contested in her homeland of Ireland.

"Once Serrano pulled out this was the natural fight to make," the Irish world champion said.

"It's two undefeated, reigning undisputed world champions going up against each other and I believe that's the first time that's ever happened in the modern era of the sport.

"People have been talking about this fight for a long time now, so I'm delighted it's happening and I'm looking forward to becoming a two-weight undisputed champion."

Cameron has been victorious in all 17 of her professional fights, becoming the UK's first undisputed female champion after defeating Jessica McCaskill in November.

Meanwhile, Taylor's record stands at 22-0 with six knockouts, 17 of those bouts coming in title matches.

The 36-year-old made history alongside Serrano in New York in May 2022, with theirs the first female fight to headline at Madison Square Garden as Taylor won on points.

Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk's teams have told the World Boxing Association (WBA) they have reached an agreement for a heavyweight unification fight.

A proposed mouthwatering battle between WBC champion Fury and WBA-Super, IBF, WBO and IBO strap-holder Usyk has been shrouded in doubt as the two parties were unable to settle on terms.

Alex Krassyuk, Usyk's promoter, revealed Fury had rejected a 60-40 purse split in favour of the winner for a bout at Wembley on April 29.

Usyk then put the ball back in "greedy belly" Fury's court by agreeing to the Briton's demand for a 70-30 split, provided he immediately donates £1million to warn-torn Ukraine as they continued to do their talking over social media rather than around the table.

But the WBA later provided an encouraging update, stating assurances have been made that an agreement was reached ahead of Friday's deadline.

"WBA President Gilberto Mendoza received confirmation from Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury's teams that there is an agreement to make the unification fight," the WBA tweeted. "They request time to work on the contracts to close the deal."

Oleksandr Usyk has told "greedy belly" Tyson Fury he will accept a 70-30 split for a heavyweight unification fight if the WBC champion donates £1million to Ukraine straight after the bout.

An eagerly awaited battle between Fury and Usyk is in doubt as the two parties have been unable to strike a deal.

Usyk's promoter Alex Krassyuk this week revealed that Fury had rejected a 60-40 purse split in favour of the winner for a bout on April 29.

WBA-Super, IBF, WBO and IBO champion Usyk on Friday put the ball firmly in Fury's court by agreeing to take a smaller slice of the cake, provided the Englishman supports war-torn Ukraine.

He stated on social media: "Hey greedy #Belly I accept your offer seventy/thirty split to fight on April 29th at Wembley.

"But you will promise to donate 1 mln pounds to Ukraine immediately after the fight. And for every day of your delay you will pay 1 per cent from your purse to Ukrainian people.
Deal???? @tysonfury"

Should a fight against Fury not materialise, Usyk has a three-man waiting list of mandatory opponents – with WBA mandatory Daniel Dubois at the front due to the nature of the governing bodies' rotation system.

If the Brit was ruled out by the injury he sustained in his last fight, IBF mandatory Filip Hrgovic is next in line, followed by WBO mandatory Joe Joyce.

Oleksandr Usyk is unlikely to face Tyson Fury in a unification bout in his return to the ring, the Ukrainian's promoter Alex Krassyuk admitted.

Negotiations for a clash that would determine the first unified heavyweight champion since 2000 have been ongoing for months but are now on the brink of collapse.

Krassyuk revealed this week that Fury had rejected a 60-40 purse split in favour of the winner, with the WBC champ seeking a much higher fee.

That leaves a proposed April bout between Usyk and Fury looking extremely unlikely, with Krassyuk conceding he does not expect the fight to be scheduled.

"It doesn't look likely that we're going to have a fight on April 29, that's my anticipation," he told iD Boxing.

"I can tell you only from the words that I hear from my negotiation partners – Frank Warren and George Warren – according to their reports, Tyson Fury was asking for too much money.

"Even if Usyk would get zero for the fight, it would still not be sufficient for Tyson to cover his wants. But that's actually the point. Normally when a fighter doesn't want a fight, he asks for something impossible and then it's not happening."

Should a fight against Fury not materialise, Usyk has a three-man waiting list of mandatory opponents – with WBA mandatory Daniel Dubois at the front due to the nature of the governing bodies' rotation system.

If the Brit was ruled out by the injury he sustained in his last fight, IBF mandatory Filip Hrgovic is next in line, followed by WBO mandatory Joe Joyce.

Krassyuk expects a mandatory fight to be Usyk's next bout, with the prospect of a clash against Dubois appealing.

"If a Fury fight doesn't happen, which it's not really likely to happen, I think Usyk will have to fight the mandatory. This [Dubois] is actually the next step for Usyk, we have to comply with it," he added.

"It's not the worst fight for the UK. Dubois is English, Usyk fought a couple of times here so he's probably a bit known in the UK. And this is a fight where an Englishman is fighting for three belts at heavyweight. It's a bit more than just a normal heavyweight fight.

"It's still huge. Dubois went through some hell in his last fight, so probably he's recovered, we expect that he did, but we have to see the medicals. It's something to be disclosed within the next couple of days.

"We're still expecting the official decision from Fury. Once we know from Fury officially that the fight is off, then we start working on the mandatory."

Eddie Hearn accused Tyson Fury of "playing" fans for years amid a stall in talks regarding a unification bout against Oleksandr Usyk.

Fury and Usyk are expected to face off this year to determine the first unified heavyweight champion since 2000, but discussions are reported to have hit a stumbling block.

On Wednesday, Usyk's promoter Alex Krassyuk said Fury had rejected a 60-40 purse split in favour of the winner.

That came after Frank Warren, Fury's promoter, indicated no further talks would take place beyond the end of the week, leaving the fight at risk of collapse.

Hearn – who represents Anthony Joshua and saw negotiations for a clash between him and Fury break down last year – has now hit out at 'The Gypsy King'.

"When are you guys out there going to start understanding? [Fury says] 'It's not about the money, I'll fight him for free, as long as the tickets are free for the general public.' F*** off," Hearn told IFL TV.

"You want money, you want too much money. You're not the draw you think you are, that fight is not as big as you think it is.

"[It's] greed. If you're about legacy, if you want to be undisputed, then you take the fight. Oh, so you're going to get £50million or £60m instead of the £80m or £100m, £125m that you asked for. F*** me. You've all been played for all these years.

"If you really want the fight, you have to make concessions. Fury's got a point, he's a bigger draw, but I'll tell you something now, when Tyson Fury drew with Deontay Wilder [in 2018], we offered him 40-60 to fight Anthony Joshua as a voluntary challenger.

"He came back and said: 'I'll only fight AJ on 50-50.' At the time, AJ was a much bigger draw.

"Tyson Fury is worth more than 50-50 in this fight, but if you want to be the first undisputed heavyweight world champion since Lennox Lewis, then you take 50-50 and you get the fight done."

Tyson Fury's potential heavyweight unification bout with Oleksandr Usyk could be in doubt after the Gypsy King turned down a 60-40 purse split, according to the Ukrainian's promoter Alex Krassyuk.

The duo's teams are in discussions for an undisputed clash, and negotiations seemed to be nearing a conclusion earlier this week.

Fury's promoter Frank Warren revealed both camps were looking to set a date and venue for the bout, while Usyk himself said both men "need this fight".

But Krassyuk has now claimed Fury's camp have turned down an increased offer for a 60-40 split favouring the fight's winner, having also reportedly pushed against an even 50-50 purse.

"Frank Warren said he's got a pot and he needs to get the agreement of both parties to participate," Krassyuk told talkSPORT.

"If the money in the pot is not enough, it won't happen. I completely agree with it. On our side, I have nothing more to add.

"We have said that we want this fight to happen as much as possible, and we are in the position to share whatever the fight generates.

"But boxing is a sport of two men and if only Usyk gets into the ring, there won't be a match for undisputed. It will be shadowboxing of the unified champion.

"We initially agreed for 50-50. But then Tyson was asking for some bigger money. We made it clear that we are ready to go 60-40, but the winner takes 60.

"That was our latest offer [but Fury turned it down], exactly."

Warren previously indicated there would be no negotiations beyond the end of this week, with both parties reportedly eyeing up an April 29 bout at Wembley Stadium.

"We're still none the wiser, we're still waiting for it to be done," Warren said. "It's all coming to a head now, but it's still not done.

"You need the agreement of both boxers to make it happen and at the moment we haven't got that, so that's where we're at.

"We're working hard to make it happen. But I would say it's not going to go past the end of this week because the proposed date is April 29."

Jake Paul claimed KSI is "afraid to sign the contract" to seal a fiercely anticipated bout between the pair.

The two YouTube stars turned boxers are widely expected to bring their rivalry to a head in the ring after regularly exchanging blows on social media.

Paul suffered a first career defeat last month in a split decision loss against Tommy Fury, with KSI posting a video mocking the result and calling both fighters "trash".

While Paul's immediate priority is a rematch with Fury to avenge his defeat, a clash with KSI remains in his sights, but he has accused his rival of being scared to commit to terms.

"Talk is cheap, because with all that talk and whatever he said, he's still afraid to sign the contract," Paul said on the Impaulsive podcast.

"He can talk all that s***, but let's get in the ring, 100 per cent. Talk that s***, let's sell some f***ing pay-per-views brother.

"All things considered, I talk a lot of s***, but I back to back to back I schedule these fights and go in the ring and do them, whoever it is, anywhere, anytime, any place.

"I've backed it up and proven that and shown it. He's hot on Twitter, he's got the Twitter fingers, but when it comes to actually fighting me, you have been gone, absent, haven’t actually shown up or signed the contract.

"So, talk is cheap and let's just hope he gets into the ring and we can settle all of the s*** talk there, after I go back and avenge this loss with Tommy Fury.

"I'm KSI's end goal, but for me there's bigger fights out there, it's just a pit stop."

Oleksandr Usyk believes both he and Tyson Fury "need this fight" as the duo inch closer to a blockbuster heavyweight unification bout.

The Ukrainian retained his WBA (super-heavyweight), IBF and WBO belts against Anthony Joshua last August in Jeddah, while Fury completed his trilogy with Derek Chisora in December.

A likely deal to bring the pair together – and therefore all four titles, including Fury's WBC crown – looks to be growing closer to fruition.

Speaking about a potential bout, Usyk acknowledged any encounter would come freighted with history, though he stressed it would be no different from any other fight he has had.

"I just need this fight and that's it," he told The Overlap. "I think he needs it too. This fight is very important for both of us because all four belts haven't been held by one person for 30 years in the heavyweight division.

"So, both of us need this fight. This will be like any other fight. It's just a big man who has never lost before against a man who has the WBC belt.

"Of course, it's possible to get carried away but actually, this is a normal fight for the right to win all belts."

With a half-foot height advantage over Usyk and a longer reach to boot, Fury in theory has the upper hand in any match on a purely statistical level.

The Ukrainian has continued to confound critics since making the move up from cruiserweight though, and does not see any physical disadvantage against his rival. 

"If a person is bigger than me, it doesn't mean that they're stronger," he added. "If they have longer arms, it doesn't mean that it will be an advantage.

"I've been boxing since I was 15 years old. During this time, I've heard many opinions from people that I know well or from people who I've met just once. They kept telling me that I shouldn't be boxing.

"They told me that I wouldn't become an Olympic champion or a world champion and that I shouldn't have switched to the heavyweight division.

"But these were opinions from people who couldn't do it themselves. Personally, I keep praying and moving forward.

"I don't worry about whether I will reach my destination. It's like a samurai. He doesn't have an aim, but he has his path. I have my path too."

Conor Benn revealed he was left feeling suicidal after a failed drugs test prior to his planned bout against Chris Eubank Jr. in October.

The 26-year-old saw his fiercely-anticipated fight cancelled following the test results but has since been cleared of any guilt.

Benn was reinstated to the WBC rankings after they concluded his failed test was unintentional and added the positive result could have been due to "highly-elevated consumption of eggs".

The welterweight has maintained his innocence throughout and has now shared that he did not think he would "see another day" after experiencing suicidal thoughts.

"I didn't think I was going to make it through this period, I didn't think I was going to make it through," he told Piers Morgan Uncensored.

"I was shamed for something I hadn't even done, it's hard because I felt like I was on death row for something I haven't even done.

"If I had done something wrong I'm human, I'd raise my hands to it 'I made a mistake', whatever it is, my personal life, I raise my hands.

"Never this, and I felt seven years of hard work and sacrifice and leaving my family and the image I maintain was just ruined at somebody else's incompetence. It's been hard for the family. I didn't think I'd see another day."

Asked if he felt suicidal, he replied: "Yeah, yeah I'd say so, and it upsets me now because I don't know how I got so bad.

"I got in a really bad way about it. You've got to remember, if you think I'm innocent or if you don't think I'm innocent, I am innocent."

KSI is actively pursuing a fight against Jake Paul four years on from defeating his brother Logan, the Briton's promoter has confirmed.

YouTube star Olajide Olatunji, known as KSI, faced fellow streamer Logan Paul in his first and so far only professional boxing match in November 2019.

He won by split decision and now wants to face Jake Paul, who lost to Tommy Fury by the same close margin on Sunday.

Kalle Sauerland, KSI's promoter, revealed talks had already taken place ahead of the Fury fight, with the 29-year-old's camp confident the bout will soon be agreed.

"Regardless of [the Fury fight], it's still the blockbuster fight of crossover boxing," Sauerland told Sky Sports.

"It's a fight I expect to take place. We've been in discussions before Sunday, and we'll see what happens now with the situation of the [Fury v Paul] rematch.

"But KSI and our side have made it very clear we want that fight and I have no reason to believe that Jake Paul and his team don't want that fight either.

"It's a fight that will fill any stadium in the world, and a fight that I do believe will happen this year."

Jake Paul and Tommy Fury appear set for a rematch in the future after Fury emerged victorious via split decision in Sunday's clash in Saudi Arabia.

In a fight that was originally scheduled back in December 2021 and postponed on two separate occasions, both competitors came into the contest boasting unbeaten records.

A relatively sloppy affair by professional boxing standards, both fighters were deducted a point by the referee. First, Paul was docked a point for a shot to the back of the head in the fifth round, but the ledger was evened in the sixth when Fury was penalised for excessive holding.

The biggest drama came in the eighth and final round as Paul connected and knocked Fury down, but he comfortably beat the count and looked on solid footing on the way to the final bell.

In the end, one judge scored the fight an even four rounds apiece, with Paul getting the edge 74-75 due to the knockdown, while the other two judges gave Fury a six rounds to two advantage and a pair of 76-73 scorecards.

There was no rematch clause written into the contract if Paul was named the winner, but there was one in the event of Fury winning, and both fighters indicated afterwards they are prepared to go again.

"For the past two and a half years, this is all that's consumed my life," Fury said during his in-ring interview. "I've had broken ribs, denied access, and everybody thought I was running scared. But tonight I made my own legacy – I am Tommy Fury.

"All the way through these two and a half years, I had a dream, I had a vision I would win this fight and no one believed me.

"Now I can stand up and everybody can take note. In my first main event [at] 23 years old, I had the world on me, I had pressure on my shoulders and I came through.

"One hundred per cent [I will fight him again], this is my first main event. I'm only gonna go stronger, I'm only gonna go bigger, and I'm only gonna go better… if he wants a rematch, bring it on."

In the press conference afterwards, Paul said the rematch is at the top of his list of future fights.

"Yeah, for sure, I think I've got to go and get this one back," he said. "KSI is yet to fight a real opponent, so we don't even know his actual skill level, but that's obviously still a massive fight.

"But I'm going to go back for this rematch. I just talked to Tommy back in the medical room, and he's like 'lets go, let's do it again' – so I think that will be the focus first and foremost. 

"I'm going to prove that I can fight a better fight than I did tonight, and get that W."