Joshua was set to fight Usyk this year
Anthony Joshua is on the verge of accepting a £15m step-aside fee which would allow Tyson Fury to fight Oleksandr Usyk in an undisputed heavyweight title fight.
Joshua was due to fight the Ukrainian again this year after he activated a rematch clause following his defeat to Usyk at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last September.
However The Telegraph have reported that the 32-year-old is now open to stepping aside to allow the unification fight – which is set to take place in the Middle East, whilst the Principality Stadium in Cardiff could also be an option, where Fury is reserved to fight on March 26.
As a compromise to stepping aside to allow Fury and Usyk to fight, it is expected that Joshua would be allowed to fight the winner, meaning that any hopes of a fight between Fury and Dillian Whyte look to be off the cards for now.
The WBC had previously ordered Whyte to fight Fury in a mandatory challenge, however there have been several delays as Whyte’s camp have refused to agree to the 80/20 purse split.
Joshua’s team have yet to make an official announcement but his UK fight promoter Eddie Hearn told fans to “expect the unexpected” ahead of an upcoming announcement.
Meanwhile the ‘Gypsy King’s promoter Frank Warren claimed that a deal was close to being completed in the coming weeks.
He said: “It’s a saga but if we can keep things between us, we can get something over the line one way or another.
“Everybody in boxing wants to see the undisputed fight between Tyson and Usyk, I want to see it just as a fan. So that is the fight we are trying to make.”
Related links:
- Tyson Fury slams Anthony Joshua for allowing “little steroid man” Oleksandr Usyk to beat him
- Eddie Hearn reveals talks for Joshua to step aside and allow Usyk vs Fury fight
- Tyson Fury and Dillian Whyte given extra week to solve pay split dispute
