Negotiations between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk over an undisputed heavyweight fight are “getting there”.
Fury, 34, defends his WBC title against fellow Briton Derek Chisora Saturday at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
But Fury’s team is working behind the scenes to secure a deal with WBA, WBO and IBF champion Usyk.
Fury co-promoter Frank Warren is confident a deal can be done, saying, “Usyk is the fight we want.”
There were concerns that Usyk’s mandatory obligations could delay the fight, but Warren said Fury hopes to fight Usyk as early as March, “provided there is no lock-up.”
One of the potential issues could be Usyk’s mandatory bonds, with Croatian Filip Hrgovic and Briton Daniel Dubois vying to be Usyk’s next title challenger.
Fury’s team is ready to wait until the summer to fight Usyk.
With Deontay Wilder set to fight Andy Ruiz Jr in a WBC final eliminator, Warren says Fury could take a willing defense if talks with Usyk drag on.
Undefeated British heavyweight Joe Joyce is an option after his great victory against former world champion Joseph Parker in September.
Who is Usyk’s obligatory?
Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn recently said the IBF had officially made Hrgovic the mandatory challenger and ordered Usyk to negotiate terms.
Hearn suggested the IBF decision could delay a Fury-Usyk fight, but Warren said Hrgovic is not Usyk’s next proxy.
Usyk’s three belts mean he has three potential mandatory challengers to face, although sanctioning bodies often cooperate with each other so one mandatory is called at a time.
Dubois, 25, holds the WBA “Regular” heavyweight title and, although he has not yet been officially named a mandatory challenger, Warren said the WBA assured him that Dubois was next in line.
“I wrote from the WBA that Daniel is the next mandatary,” Warren said.
The IBF declined to comment on Hrgovic’s status as a mandatory challenger or if a bye could be granted to allow Usyk to fight Fury.
An uncontested or unified bout would often be prioritized and the champion could be granted a bye or paid “sidestep” money to the mandatory challenger.
If Fury fights in March, Warren says they will push Usyk to defend his titles against Dubois instead of Hrgovic.
There hasn’t been an undisputed heavyweight fight since November 1999, when Lennox Lewis defeated Evander Holyfield to win the WBA, WBC and IBF heavyweight titles.
There has never been an undisputed heavyweight champion who has held all four major world titles as well as the lineal title.
Fury vacated the lineal title during his retirement and the Ring magazine title was awarded to Usyk after his defeat Anthony Joshua in August.
