Tyson Fury’s promoter Bob Arum says the Gypsy King’s long-awaited showdown with Oleksandr Usyk will finally be announced on Thursday.
An undisputed bout between WBC heavyweight champion Fury and Usyk, who holds the unified WBA, WBO and IBF titles, has been on the cards since the Ukrainian recorded back-to-back victories over Anthony Joshua in 2021 and 2022.
The fighters’ representatives have been locked in negotiations for much of 2023 while failing to reach a final agreement, leading both men to take on different opponents in recent months.
While Usyk retained his belts by posting a 21st victory in as many professional bouts by stopping Daniel Dubois in August, Fury struggled against former UFC Heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou last month, beating the boxing debutant by virtue of a split decision.
Arum, the chief executive of Fury’s American promoter Top Rank, has now told Sky Sports the date of the huge bout is set to be revealed.
“I can confirm they will fight each other in Saudi Arabia,” Arum said.
“There will be a press conference in London, Thursday of this week, and they’ll confirm the date and all the other circumstances about the fight taking place. But yes, the fight will be taking place.
“I can’t wait to see that fight.”
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Fury was originally expected to face Usyk before the end of 2023, but a February bout now appears likely. Despite the Gypsy King producing a below-par performance against Ngannou, Arum is confident he will be ready to face Usyk.
“He is ready to fight in February, if that’s when it happens,” Arum said of Fury. “Going in with Ngannou, who showed himself to be very talented, nobody had a book on him because he never had a prize fight.
“Fighting Usyk is totally different because they have reams and reams of film on Usyk. I think Tyson will be a lot better prepared against Usyk than he was against Ngannou.
“I have great confidence in Tyson Fury. He’s a great competitor and he’ll be at his best against Usyk. I really believe Fury against Usyk will be a classic match.”
