Top Rank head Bob Arum, who is one of the promoters of the WBC world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, remains optimistic that his boxer will face the unified champion Oleksandr Usyk in the fight for the absolute title in the first months of 2023. Fury's handlers were recently in talks for a year-end fight with the former two-time world champion. Anthony Joshuabut these negotiations failed.
Things have been pretty shaky over the past few weeks, with Fury threatening a deadline several times to get the deal done faster. Arum was firm in his position that Joshua's promoter, Matchroom's Eddie Hearn, "killed this fight" by taking too long to close the deal.
Tyson Fury is Tyson Fury. He didn't go to law school, so he wants to fight. If he sets deadlines that aren't really deadlines because he's sending a message, get your ass up and do it," Arum said in an interview with Sky Sports. “Obviously, that was the case. So no one can be blamed for this fight not happening, not Tyson, not AJ, not anyone else but Eddie Hearn."
Arum is very friendly with Usik's manager Egis Klimas. Top Rank promotes several other Klimas clients such as Vasyl Lomachenko and Janibek Alimkhanuly. Usyk, after the second victory over Joshua by decision of the judges, intends to return to the ring in the first months of the upcoming new year. Arum is confident that he can make a deal for Fury and secure a meeting with Usyk.
"Absolutely. I keep in touch with Egis Klimas, Usyk's manager, almost daily, because he is also the manager of the fighters we promote,” Arum said. “So, I keep in touch with him, and Klimas said that in discussion with potential sites, it will be the last week of February or the first week of March, which suits us.”
