Joshua and Whyte 'will demand £20m to step aside for Fury vs Usyk'

Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte ‘will demand a combined £20m to step aside for Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk’… with Middle East bidders desperate to stage the first undisputed heavyweight showdown for over two decades this summer

  • Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk could meet for the undisputed heavyweight title
  • But Usyk is contractually obliged to rematch Anthony Joshua in his next bout
  • And Fury has been ordered to face WBC mandatory challenger Dillian Whyte
  • Joshua and Whyte will reportedly step aside for £20million between them
  • Joshua is said to be demanding £15million, while Whyte is asking for £5million 

Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte will reportedly demand a combined £20million to step aside and allow Tyson Fury to face Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight title this summer.

Usyk currently holds three of the four recognised heavyweight championships after outclassing Joshua over 12 rounds at the end of September, one week before Fury successfully defended his WBC strap by knocking out Deontay Wilder.

While a showdown between the two champions would be the most logical next step, Usyk is instead obliged to face Joshua for a second time after the Brit triggered his rematch clause.


Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte could step aside to let Tyson Fury face Oleksandr Usyk next

Usyk and Fury (left and right) could meet for the undisputed heavyweight title this summer

Fury, meanwhile, has been ordered to meet mandatory challenger Whyte in his next contest.

Yet according to The Sun, both Joshua and Whyte could step aside to clear the path for Fury vs Usyk this summer.

It is believed AJ is set to be offered £15million to pull out of his scheduled rematch with Usyk, which was expected to go ahead in late March or early April.

As for Whyte, he could receive a £5million fee to give up his long-awaited shot at world honours.

Joshua could land £15m to swerve a second bout with Usyk after triggering his rematch clause

The Brixton man previously spent over 1,000 days as No 1 contender with the WBC and is currently locked in a legal battle with the governing body over his purse split in a potential fight with Fury.

Whyte and his team were left incensed at the offer of an 80/20 split, with Eddie Hearn insisting his man deserves more than the standard mandatory cut.

Nevertheless, Hearn is now hinting that they could step aside altogether for Fury vs Usyk, which is attracting interest from backers in the Middle East.

‘There are people who would like to see Fury v Usyk for the undisputed title — and would be willing to pay a lot of money for it,’ the Matchroom chief said.

Whyte, meanwhile, could receive £5million to pull out of his scheduled showdown with Fury

Fury has been ordered to defend his WBC title against Whyte in his next contest

‘If there is a lot of money in the pot, and a plan put in place to make all the fighters happy, then there is a chance it can happen.

‘The problem is time. Conversations started a month ago — but they are very complex.’

A clash between Fury and Usyk would crown the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis back in 2000.

It would also create the first ever four-belt king of the division, with Lewis only holding three titles during his reign.




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