Eddie Hearn has slammed Tyson Fury for ‘playing’ boxing fans with the narrative that he is fighting for legacy. Fury is currently in negotiations to face Oleksandr Usyk on April 29 for the undisputed heavyweight crown, but discussions appear to be stalling on The Gypsy King’s purse demands.
Usyk’s promoter Alexander Krassyuk recently revealed that the Mancunian is asking for a fee so high that even if he was given a 100 per cent split of the prize pot, then it still wouldn’t cover the cost. This is a stark difference from Fury’s claims that he would fight Joshua for free and that his return to the sport was all about legacy.
A point Hearn believes has flown under the radar. “When are you guys out there going to start understanding? ‘It’s not about the money, I’ll fight him for free after as long as the tickets are free for the general public’. F*** off!” Hearn said of the Fury-Usyk negotiations to iFL TV.
“You want money, you want too much money, you’re not the draw you think you are, that fight isn’t as big as you think it is. Greed, if you’re about legacy, if you want to be undisputed you take the fight. Oh, so you get £50million or £60m instead of the £100m or £120m you asked for. F*** me, you’ve all been played over these years.”
The four-belt shootout was expected to take place at Wembley Stadium next month. However, with Fury demanding an extortionate payday, Krassyuk claims it is unlikely the contest will happen in the UK with British investors unable to put up the same funds as the money-spinning showdowns recently held in the middle east.
Organisers had hoped to stage the fight overseas in Saudi Arabia but representatives from Kingdom were unable to confirm whether their state-of-the-art stadium in Jeddah – which was set to be the venue for the historic event – could be completed in time.
The fight now looks more unlikely than ever, especially given the one-week deadline recently set for the deal to be completed.
If the clash can’t get done in time then Fury is expected to face a different opponent on the same date, similar to when his December showdown with Anthony Joshua fell through and Derek Chisora was brought instead.