Fury's call for NO rematch clause vs Usyk just his latest game
Give us the big fights! Tyson Fury’s demand to have NO rematch clause against Oleksandr Usyk after getting 70/30 split is just his latest game… the Gypsy King scrapped his bout with Anthony Joshua after promising to face him for free!
- Tyson Fury called for no rematch clause in his showdown with Oleksandr Usyk
- Usyk’s representatives claimed it was a tactic for Fury to get out of the fight
- Fury has moved the goalposts before after doing so with Anthony Joshua
Tyson Fury is a talented fighter. In the ring, he’s a master when it comes to hit and not get hit.
Some might say he’s also a master at moving the goalposts during negotiations for a big fight.
Talks between the Gypsy King’s camp and Oleksandr Usyk’s have been ongoing since last summer after the Ukrainian defeated Anthony Joshua for a second time – and after initially moving at a snail’s pace, they’ve progressed in recent weeks.
A date has been earmarked for April 29 at Wembley Stadium – with Usyk even agreeing to a 70-30 purse split, despite holding three world titles belts compared to Fury’s sole WBC strap.
All that Usyk demanded in return was that Fury donates £1million to the Ukrainian war effort at the end of the fight – terms the Brit may not even agree to – yet that won’t affect whether the showdown goes ahead.
Tyson Fury left fans frustrated by adding another obstacle to negotiations with Oleksandr Usyk
He urged Usyk to remove the rematch clause – a move the Ukrainian saw as a tactic to duck him
Fans are still waiting for this fight to be officially announced and are understandably exhausted by boxing’s notorious back-and-forth negotiations and chess games.
There was little fuss in arranging his trilogy bout with old rival Dereck Chisora in December – because ‘Del Boy’ was likely more than happy to get a big payday and a surprise world title shot.
But when Fury has been in talks for a big fight in recent times there has usually been a change of heart or an outlandish new demand that cannot be met.
With the hefty split conceded by Usyk and the date and venue set, there was seemingly nothing standing in the way of this fight going ahead.
But then up pops Fury with his claim that the fight should have no rematch clause, instead asking for a ‘winner takes all’ contest – another blow to fans craving to see the first undisputed champion since Lennox Lewis in 1999.
‘I’ve been speaking to the lawyers today and Usyk’s people are talking about rematch clauses and all the b****cks,’ he said on social media.
‘Here’s one to up the ante, how about there is no f***ing rematch clause for both of us, let’s up the ante completely.
‘Never worry about what’s in the future and how many dollars you can get after you’ve been defeated.
Usyk’s team claimed Fury’s credibility was ‘shot to pieces’ after the latest setback to talks
‘Worry about the fight, April 29, no rematch clause, the winner takes the glory, the loser goes home with his d*** in his hand. How about that? Agree to that you f***ing b****.’
The narrative as it stands is that Usyk has done all he can to make the fight happen, while Fury is still looking for excuses.
Usyk’s team were unsurprisingly unhappy at what they perceived to be another set-back in talks and accused Fury of seeking a way out of the fight.
‘As Usyk said, the greedy belly (Fury) is still hoping to find a way to pull out. We knew before and know it now,’ said Usyk’s promoter Alex Krassyuk.
‘As soon as Usyk accepts a no rematch clause there will still be searching for another thing to find and pull out the fight.
‘I tell you why. He bluffed and Usyk called his bluff. This is 100 per cent. He didn’t expect Usyk to accept 70/30.
‘It’s all about nothing. He’s not prepared and scared to fight. He will try to find a way to avoid Usyk for as long as possible. We don’t trust him, we don’t believe him.”
Krassyuk added: ‘I don’t believe anyone will fight. Even if you accept this now, he will still try to find a way out.’
As we know, this isn’t the first time Fury has left fans frustrated as they await a big fight. Only five months ago were boxing fanatics cursing their luck when a huge all-British showdown between Fury and Joshua went up in smoke.
Fans were also disappointed when a huge showdown between Fury and Anthony Joshua went up in smoke last year
The opportunity was created by Fury – as he offered the fallen star a shot at redemption and his WBC belt just months after a second damaging defeat against Usyk in August 2022.
But the opportunity was also closed by Fury. He set Joshua a number of specific deadlines while the two teams were locked in talks, before using the failure to strike an agreement as a way to goad his rival.
After his last deadline – 5pm on Monday, September 27 – passed without a deal, Fury was quick to jump on social media, calling him a coward.
‘It’s official. D-Day has come and gone,’ he said. ‘It’s gone past 5pm Monday, no contract has been signed. It’s officially over for Joshua. He’s now out in the cold with the wolfpack. Forget about it. Idiot. Coward!’
Throughout the process Fury also called out German boxer Mahmoud Charr – with the pair exchanging back-and-forth videos on Instagram.
Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn also claimed Dereck Chisora was offered a contract before negotiations had fully ended – leading to his claim that Fury never wanted Joshua – and was instead looking to face an ‘easy touch’ all along.
Fury set Joshua plenty of deadlines at short notice before calling time on negotiations and fighting Dereck Chisora (right) instead
‘I think he wants to fight Manuel [Mahmoud] Charr. I think he wants an easy touch in December,’ Hearn said.
‘I think he’s going to use this whole experience to basically say, ‘Sorry public, I tried my best’. I just don’t believe a word Tyson Fury says and I have my doubts the fight will happen in December.’
He also hit out at Fury for creating consistent deadlines at short notice for a fight of such huge magnitude.
‘There is no chance this fight will get signed by Monday,’ he said. ‘There is no need for this fight to get signed by Monday.
‘If he doesn’t [want to fight Joshua], and I guess he doesn’t, then he’ll do what he’ll do and the fans might even fall for it. If he wants to put a time frame on it of Monday then it’s clear to the whole public he doesn’t want the fight.’
Eventually the fight was scrapped and Fury did face Chisora instead. Both fighters had agreed on the financials of the bout, with Joshua accepting a 60-40 split in Fury’s favour – but the sticking point was said to be the commercial details of the contract.
Of course, Fury put the blame on Joshua – as did his promotional team Queenbury – but only months earlier he had claimed he would fight his rival for free and demanded that tickets and the broadcast be free too.
Fury said Joshua was a ‘coward’ for not agreeing to his demands, despite previously offering to fight him for free last summer
‘That’s how the fight happens, I’ll sign the contract today,’ Fury said on his Instagram last July. ‘The fight’s got to be for free. Free-to-air television and all tickets go for free. No money is to be made out of this British historic fight if it happens.
‘There’s the terms, I’m in the driving seat, take it or effing leave it. The ball is in your court, guys… Either way, I don’t give a damn.’
If he was happy to fight for free, why were the negotiations so complicated? Why was he not more patient? And with seemingly nothing standing in the way of his fight with Usyk being finalised, why try need to remove the rematch clause?
In truth, it’s hard to take anything Fury says at face value. This is a fighter who has retired three times in his career and has almost immediately come back every time.
The last time he claimed to be hanging up the gloves, he was so certain he would stay retired he offered Piers Morgan £1million that he was true to his word. Of course, he ended up getting back in the ring two months later.
Fury is an incredible draw for boxing – but even his most ardent of followers must be tiring of his games. He always provides entertainment, but fans want to see that in the ring. They want to see the big fights.
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