[ POLL ] The Unification Fight: FURY vs USYK sponsored by Utopia

[hilariousetc]

It'll almost certainly happen. They seem to have agreed terms in principle and now just have to decide on the venue/county. It's the biggest fight for both of them and I think it's the first time in 20 years that the opportunity to become undisputed champion has been there so they'd be stupid to not get this fight over the line. I'm sure they're trying to wrangle as much money out of the Middle East as possible which is probably the only reason pen hasn't been put to paper yet. The only thing that could hold it up is both fighters mandatory bouts which will be enforced if they don't get this thing signed and officially done soon. I don't think either party will be as stupid to throw away this opportunity over greed.

The fight will go ahead because as you said neither party will be stupid to throw the opportunity away. If they want to maximise sentimental value it stands to reason Usyk would want it to take place in Ukraine but looking at it logically that would be almost impossible. If the boxers want to get the largest possible share of the purse the fight will probably take place in the Middle East. I think it is inevitable, Fury vs Usyk will go ahead in 2023 without either boxer being forced in to mandatory bouts elsewhere.

Even if there wasn't a war going on it's very unlikely to be held in Ukraine. These mega fights are usually either in the UK, US, or the middle east. When you've got a big British fighter the logical place is to do it in the UK so you can have that massive gate and inf ront of fans, but the middle east also practically being in the same time zone is another option since they often pay 5x the amount they'd get elsewhere and that makes up for the loss in ticket sales. Fury can't go to the USA yet either unless he gets his visa situation sorted so this fight will either be in London or Abu Dhabi. Given the amount of money Fury is gonna be wanting the latter seems more likely. They should probably try get two fights sorted and both parties will probably want a rematch so do one home and abroad.

[JollyGood]

I was not aware Abu Dhabi was in the frame was a potential venue. When I mentioned the Middle East as a possibility I was thinking on the lines of Saudi Arabia because they have hosted two Joshua fights there.

Regardless of where the possible venues are touted, there would be no better place for Fury to have it than the UK at a football stadium such as Wembley or Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. If Usyk had a choice he would choose a neutral venue therefore any place except the UK. I think the rematch clauses will be inserted therefore two fights should be guaranteed to take place but the winning bid for the venue should implement a clause of their own to ensure they stage the rematch should the losing fighter invoke it.

Bob Arum has been talking as usual saying the boxers have agreed to fight therefore that is a good sign.

Even if there wasn't a war going on it's very unlikely to be held in Ukraine. These mega fights are usually either in the UK, US, or the middle east. When you've got a big British fighter the logical place is to do it in the UK so you can have that massive gate and inf ront of fans, but the middle east also practically being in the same time zone is another option since they often pay 5x the amount they'd get elsewhere and that makes up for the loss in ticket sales. Fury can't go to the USA yet either unless he gets his visa situation sorted so this fight will either be in London or Abu Dhabi. Given the amount of money Fury is gonna be wanting the latter seems more likely. They should probably try get two fights sorted and both parties will probably want a rematch so do one home and abroad.

[lionheart78]

Surely the Fury vs Usyk fight makes sense over anything else and if the boxers want it they will sign the contracts soon to end the speculation.

A unification bout always makes sense.  This caters to a lot of interest and speculation that fuels the game regardless of who is fighting. They target the middle east because many fights in that region are profitable.  It was also stated in the article I shared in bumping this thread.  Hopefully, both camps will come to an agreement else, if the fight doesn't happen before March 4, 2023, the promoter of Usyk, Krassyuk stated that the fight will never happen.

The pair are set to face each other on a date between February 18 and March 4 next year with Krassyuk claiming that if the fight is not made by March 4 then it will never happen.

[JollyGood]

I think it is just hype if they are giving deadlines by which the fight must take place otherwise it will never happen. If the two boxers (Fury and Usyk) decide to have the fight it will take place whether it is before or after 4th March 2023. As for the Middle East as a probable venue, it will take place where the money takes it, that is usual is business.

A unification bout always makes sense.  This caters to a lot of interest and speculation that fuels the game regardless of who is fighting. They target the middle east because many fights in that region are profitable.  It was also stated in the article I shared in bumping this thread.  Hopefully, both camps will come to an agreement else, if the fight doesn't happen before March 4, 2023, the promoter of Usyk, Krassyuk stated that the fight will never happen.

[inthelongrun]

This fight is not happening in early March. Tyson Fury I believe is a Christian devout and he will celebrate Christmas and the New Year with a bang. This means we need at least 3 months excluding the days of negotiations. I believe serious talks will only resume after the New Year as well. If an agreement, especially the major details are sealed in early January then we will expect this unification to happen in April. This fight is going to be huge no matter the location. I prefer a neutral venue though to be fair with Usyk. Middle East countries are most likely the ones with better offers unless Bob Arum will try to bring this fight to the US.

Do you think Fury (if he wins against Chisora) will be unable to ready to fight Usyk in March 2023? It will be the biggest pay day of his life and it will be an opportunity to make history by joining an elite few by unifying the belts.

Most championship-level fighters can only fight a maximum of 3 times a year. 4 fights are possible only when they stopped their previous opponents easily in the early rounds without receiving damages in return.

Usyk just fought last August 20 against AJ for 12 full rounds. Let's say a month of full rest and relaxation while at the same time negotiating a Fury fight. Usyk then needs another 3 months from light training up to the full training camp. Tyson Fury knows his December dates bluffs aren't feasible unless Usyk is willing to give more advantage to the WBC champion.

Usyk called Fury scared upon knowing that Fury pushes thru a December fight with a different opponent. Because it hampers the realistic proposed date which is the first quarter of next year. Although Fury cherry-picked an unranked Derek Chisora, I bet he will be needing time to heal his body if his opponent can manage to win at least 5 rounds in the judges' scorecards.

[KTChampions]

This fight is not happening in early March. Tyson Fury I believe is a Christian devout and he will celebrate Christmas and the New Year with a bang. This means we need at least 3 months excluding the days of negotiations. I believe serious talks will only resume after the New Year as well. If an agreement, especially the major details are sealed in early January then we will expect this unification to happen in April. This fight is going to be huge no matter the location. I prefer a neutral venue though to be fair with Usyk. Middle East countries are most likely the ones with better offers unless Bob Arum will try to bring this fight to the US.

I would rather believe that Fury will arrange an alcohol/cocaine marathon than that the Christian holidays will interfere with his preparation 
In general, I will be happy even if this fight takes place in April or May - it is in any case better than seeing another garbage fight. I didn’t watch the fight with Chisora even in highlights.

[JollyGood]

This fight is not happening in early March. Tyson Fury I believe is a Christian devout and he will celebrate Christmas and the New Year with a bang. This means we need at least 3 months excluding the days of negotiations. I believe serious talks will only resume after the New Year as well. If an agreement, especially the major details are sealed in early January then we will expect this unification to happen in April. This fight is going to be huge no matter the location. I prefer a neutral venue though to be fair with Usyk. Middle East countries are most likely the ones with better offers unless Bob Arum will try to bring this fight to the US.

There is nothing to suggest Fury will avoid having the fight in and around March 2023. How devout exactly is he? It was mentioned earlier that Usyk was a religious person but seriously we are talking about multi-million pay days for both boxers therefore how much longer will they be able to delay the fight that all boxing fans want to see? If a promoter insists on it taking place in March or April and offers the money, the boxers and their teams will oblige whether they are religious or not.

Tyson Fury I believe is a Christian devout and he will celebrate Christmas and the New Year with a bang.

I would rather believe that Fury will arrange an alcohol/cocaine marathon than that the Christian holidays will interfere with his preparation 
In general, I will be happy even if this fight takes place in April or May - it is in any case better than seeing another garbage fight. I didn’t watch the fight with Chisora even in highlights.

I think it will take place between March 2023 and May 2023. Maybe at the very latest it will be June 2023 but that is it. Can they really delay the fight beyond June 2023?

[Baofeng]

This fight is not happening in early March. Tyson Fury I believe is a Christian devout and he will celebrate Christmas and the New Year with a bang. This means we need at least 3 months excluding the days of negotiations. I believe serious talks will only resume after the New Year as well. If an agreement, especially the major details are sealed in early January then we will expect this unification to happen in April. This fight is going to be huge no matter the location. I prefer a neutral venue though to be fair with Usyk. Middle East countries are most likely the ones with better offers unless Bob Arum will try to bring this fight to the US.

There is nothing to suggest Fury will avoid having the fight in and around March 2023. How devout exactly is he? It was mentioned earlier that Usyk was a religious person but seriously we are talking about multi-million pay days for both boxers therefore how much longer will they be able to delay the fight that all boxing fans want to see? If a promoter insists on it taking place in March or April and offers the money, the boxers and their teams will oblige whether they are religious or not.

Tyson Fury I believe is a Christian devout and he will celebrate Christmas and the New Year with a bang.

I would rather believe that Fury will arrange an alcohol/cocaine marathon than that the Christian holidays will interfere with his preparation 
In general, I will be happy even if this fight takes place in April or May - it is in any case better than seeing another garbage fight. I didn’t watch the fight with Chisora even in highlights.

I think it will take place between March 2023 and May 2023. Maybe at the very latest it will be June 2023 but that is it. Can they really delay the fight beyond June 2023?

Well the first stumbling block is that Usyk wanted to take a rest after his Joshua fight and so the original schedule of December that Fury is pitching went to Chisora. But once this year is over, first quarter of 2023 will be a good schedule and again, this fight should be in British soil.

So yeah, probably between March-May and hopefully there will be no more delays as we have been waiting for this unification fight.

Fury the A-side getting the lion share of the purse, and Usyk and his team should agree to that.

[serjent05]

I think it is just hype if they are giving deadlines by which the fight must take place otherwise it will never happen. If the two boxers (Fury and Usyk) decide to have the fight it will take place whether it is before or after 4th March 2023. As for the Middle East as a probable venue, it will take place where the money takes it, that is usual is business.

Creating a sense of urgency huh?  It is a nice marketing strategy since it can easily get the boxer fans' attention.  Looks like now or never thing, i bet lots of boxing fans fall to this deadline of the promoter of Usyk, beside, it looks like the fight is really about to happen since they are looking for a possible host country atm.  I bet they will prefer the Middle East because of the huge profit result of the recent matches that choose to host the fight in that region.

[JollyGood]

Joshua could have taken on Fury instead of watching Chisora do it but it seems he did not want to risk losing three consecutive fights. Fury pushed hard to make the fight happen and willing to make compromises but in the end it did not take place and now will probably never take place now. I put the blame at the Joshua camp for that.

A 70/30 or 60/40 split of the purse should be accepted by boxers in regular fights but both will probably end up with a 50/50 share here. The larger the purse the larger the share for each boxer therefore neither should be complaining. One holds the main WBC belt and the other holds the remaining belts.

Well the first stumbling block is that Usyk wanted to take a rest after his Joshua fight and so the original schedule of December that Fury is pitching went to Chisora. But once this year is over, first quarter of 2023 will be a good schedule and again, this fight should be in British soil.

So yeah, probably between March-May and hopefully there will be no more delays as we have been waiting for this unification fight.

Fury the A-side getting the lion share of the purse, and Usyk and his team should agree to that.

[yazher]

I would rather believe that Fury will arrange an alcohol/cocaine marathon than that the Christian holidays will interfere with his preparation 
In general, I will be happy even if this fight takes place in April or May - it is in any case better than seeing another garbage fight. I didn’t watch the fight with Chisora even in highlights.

Longer preparation in such a great fight like this is an exception because we are witnessing another big history in boxing once again this time. This will be another chance for both of them to prove to the world who is the most outstanding boxer in their weight division. We don't want any less than that because no one can really manage to defeat these guys right now and that has been proven already they really need to clash inside the ring just before they get retired.

[KTChampions]

I would rather believe that Fury will arrange an alcohol/cocaine marathon than that the Christian holidays will interfere with his preparation 
In general, I will be happy even if this fight takes place in April or May - it is in any case better than seeing another garbage fight. I didn’t watch the fight with Chisora even in highlights.

I think it will take place between March 2023 and May 2023. Maybe at the very latest it will be June 2023 but that is it. Can they really delay the fight beyond June 2023?

11 months have passed between Usyk's fights with AJ, so if we take an analogy, we can assume that the Usyk-Fury fight can take place even in July and it will be "normal". In any case, I hope Fury will not run from Usyk and we see this fight in a reasonable amount of time. But even May or March 2023 seems so far away now 

[JollyGood]

I doubt Fury will run from any fight.

Let us not forget he chased Wilder for the fight to happen even though Fury himself was not in the best shape of fitness and then he chased and compromised on every level to try to fight Joshua but Joshua did not sign the contract citing all sorts of excuses. After that, in order to keep fit he ended up fighting Chisora.

The Usyk camp have to make a decision of they want to fight Fury. If Usyk does not agree to a fight with Fury he will have to face a mandatory challenger or will have to surrender his titles.

11 months have passed between Usyk's fights with AJ, so if we take an analogy, we can assume that the Usyk-Fury fight can take place even in July and it will be "normal". In any case, I hope Fury will not run from Usyk and we see this fight in a reasonable amount of time. But even May or March 2023 seems so far away now 

[KTChampions]

I doubt Fury will run from any fight.

Let us not forget he chased Wilder for the fight to happen even though Fury himself was not in the best shape of fitness and then he chased and compromised on every level to try to fight Joshua but Joshua did not sign the contract citing all sorts of excuses. After that, in order to keep fit he ended up fighting Chisora.

The Usyk camp have to make a decision of they want to fight Fury. If Usyk does not agree to a fight with Fury he will have to face a mandatory challenger or will have to surrender his titles.

11 months have passed between Usyk's fights with AJ, so if we take an analogy, we can assume that the Usyk-Fury fight can take place even in July and it will be "normal". In any case, I hope Fury will not run from Usyk and we see this fight in a reasonable amount of time. But even May or March 2023 seems so far away now 

But Fury was running from Klitschko. It seems to me that he is afraid of Usyk and is not opposed to "drag out" the deadline for holding the decisive battle as long as possible. The fact that he offered Joshua seemed to me initially something frivolous - how could Joshua, after the second defeat from Usyk, agree to a fight in such a short time? It was unreal and everyone knew about it.

[JollyGood]

We will not see eye to eye on this therefore better to move forward 

Fury vs Usyk - if the fight goes ahead, in your opinion who will win and in which round?

But Fury was running from Klitschko. It seems to me that he is afraid of Usyk and is not opposed to "drag out" the deadline for holding the decisive battle as long as possible. The fact that he offered Joshua seemed to me initially something frivolous - how could Joshua, after the second defeat from Usyk, agree to a fight in such a short time? It was unreal and everyone knew about it.

[inthelongrun]

This fight is not happening in early March. Tyson Fury I believe is a Christian devout and he will celebrate Christmas and the New Year with a bang. This means we need at least 3 months excluding the days of negotiations. I believe serious talks will only resume after the New Year as well. If an agreement, especially the major details are sealed in early January then we will expect this unification to happen in April. This fight is going to be huge no matter the location. I prefer a neutral venue though to be fair with Usyk. Middle East countries are most likely the ones with better offers unless Bob Arum will try to bring this fight to the US.

There is nothing to suggest Fury will avoid having the fight in and around March 2023. How devout exactly is he? It was mentioned earlier that Usyk was a religious person but seriously we are talking about multi-million pay days for both boxers therefore how much longer will they be able to delay the fight that all boxing fans want to see? If a promoter insists on it taking place in March or April and offers the money, the boxers and their teams will oblige whether they are religious or not.

Well, Fury and Usyk are superstars in this sport. At their level, they are the ones giving the final say, or their promoters might have problems retaining them once their contracts are done. They are too valuable that every promoter just wants to satisfy their demands.

Tyson Fury I believe is a Christian devout and he will celebrate Christmas and the New Year with a bang.

I would rather believe that Fury will arrange an alcohol/cocaine marathon than that the Christian holidays will interfere with his preparation 
In general, I will be happy even if this fight takes place in April or May - it is in any case better than seeing another garbage fight. I didn’t watch the fight with Chisora even in highlights.

I think it will take place between March 2023 and May 2023. Maybe at the very latest it will be June 2023 but that is it. Can they really delay the fight beyond June 2023?

I am just very confident that this fight is not happening in March. April onwards are the most feasible dates. If Canelo Alvarez won't fight in Cinco de Mayo due to his injury, then early May is a perfect date for this megafight.   

[hilariousetc]

This fight is not happening in early March. Tyson Fury I believe is a Christian devout and he will celebrate Christmas and the New Year with a bang. This means we need at least 3 months excluding the days of negotiations. I believe serious talks will only resume after the New Year as well. If an agreement, especially the major details are sealed in early January then we will expect this unification to happen in April. This fight is going to be huge no matter the location. I prefer a neutral venue though to be fair with Usyk. Middle East countries are most likely the ones with better offers unless Bob Arum will try to bring this fight to the US.

Devout Christian lol. The only church Fury will be going to every Sunday is the gym. Or the pub, but not during camp.

This fight is not happening in early March. Tyson Fury I believe is a Christian devout and he will celebrate Christmas and the New Year with a bang. This means we need at least 3 months excluding the days of negotiations. I believe serious talks will only resume after the New Year as well. If an agreement, especially the major details are sealed in early January then we will expect this unification to happen in April. This fight is going to be huge no matter the location. I prefer a neutral venue though to be fair with Usyk. Middle East countries are most likely the ones with better offers unless Bob Arum will try to bring this fight to the US.

There is nothing to suggest Fury will avoid having the fight in and around March 2023. How devout exactly is he? It was mentioned earlier that Usyk was a religious person but seriously we are talking about multi-million pay days for both boxers therefore how much longer will they be able to delay the fight that all boxing fans want to see? If a promoter insists on it taking place in March or April and offers the money, the boxers and their teams will oblige whether they are religious or not.

I don't think it has to happen in March that was just the date they had pencilled in. If both parties know that a deal is practically done and it's just ironing out the kinks they might already start camp soon without the contracts being fully done. You don't need more than 3 months so once xmas and New Years are done with they'll likely both be hitting the gym. It's probably just some small things that need sorting regarding the contracts.

We will not see eye to eye on this therefore better to move forward 

Fury vs Usyk - if the fight goes ahead, in your opinion who will win and in which round?

But Fury was running from Klitschko. It seems to me that he is afraid of Usyk and is not opposed to "drag out" the deadline for holding the decisive battle as long as possible. The fact that he offered Joshua seemed to me initially something frivolous - how could Joshua, after the second defeat from Usyk, agree to a fight in such a short time? It was unreal and everyone knew about it.

Fury on points. I don't think Usyk will get anywhere close to knocking out Tyson but he could win it on points but I wouldn't pick that outcome. The only trouble with this fight is I think it could be a boring one. Usyk is like Mayweather in that's he's a great boxer and very good defensively but not that exciting to watch.

[JollyGood]

Devout Christian lol. The only church Fury will be going to every Sunday is the gym. Or the pub, but not during camp.

I agree, I am fairly sure Easter will have nothing to do with a decision by Fury with regards to training and the fight date. I am not so sure about Usyk but still am confident if he has the contract on his table, he will sign in whether it is Easter or anything else.

We will not see eye to eye on this therefore better to move forward 

Fury vs Usyk - if the fight goes ahead, in your opinion who will win and in which round?

But Fury was running from Klitschko. It seems to me that he is afraid of Usyk and is not opposed to "drag out" the deadline for holding the decisive battle as long as possible. The fact that he offered Joshua seemed to me initially something frivolous - how could Joshua, after the second defeat from Usyk, agree to a fight in such a short time? It was unreal and everyone knew about it.

Fury on points. I don't think Usyk will get anywhere close to knocking out Tyson but he could win it on points but I wouldn't pick that outcome. The only trouble with this fight is I think it could be a boring one. Usyk is like Mayweather in that's he's a great boxer and very good defensively but not that exciting to watch.

After watching Fury go the distance on a couple of occasions recently, a points win could potentially be on the card but the danger with points decisions is that you never know if scorecard judges are even assessing and awarding properly. If either boxer clearly deserved the win but end up in a draw or dubious victory for the clear loser, then it will become very messy. I would like to see both boxers going for it but overall I think Fury will win before 12 rounds.

[JollyGood]

There is a $25 prize in a free lottery for the member that has the correct outcome for the Fury vs Usyk fight.

Full details here in JollyGood Free Lottery #1: FURY vs USYK (win $25)

[hilariousetc]

Looks like the fight is one step closer:

https://talksport.com/sport/boxing/1296818/tyson-fury-draft-contract-oleksandr-usyk-frank-warren/

Tyson Fury’s team send draft contract to Oleksandr Usyk as Frank Warren reveals progress towards undisputed heavyweight world title fight in March

This doesn't seem like a difficult fight to get made. It seems like Fury and Usyk's camps have been on the same page before negotiations even started so there's probably not many sticking points and I think they agreed to 50/50 a while back. If the fight is to go ahead in March they'll probably get this thing signed and announced very soon.

After watching Fury go the distance on a couple of occasions recently, a points win could potentially be on the card but the danger with points decisions is that you never know if scorecard judges are even assessing and awarding properly. If either boxer clearly deserved the win but end up in a draw or dubious victory for the clear loser, then it will become very messy. I would like to see both boxers going for it but overall I think Fury will win before 12 rounds.

Yeah, you can't afford to leave it up to the judges these days as they often have terrible opinions or biases come into play. I think this could be a really boring fight and if Fury doesn't get a KO I could see Usyk winning it on points due to him being very defensive and those sorts of fights can often get them the win. I'm sure Fury knows this but it's not going to be easy to get the KO. Fury could tire him out with this size and weight advantage though. I wonder if there will be a rematch clause?