TYSON FURY is in talks for an undisputed decider with Oleksandr Usyk BUT it would mean mega-money step aside promises for Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte.
AJ, 32, activated his rematch clause after the 35-year-old Ukraine genius schooled him for the WBA, IBF and WBO belts in September.
And Brixton Body Snatcher Whyte, 33, is the long-time mandatory challenger for the 33-year-old Gypsy King’s WBC crown.
But the undefeated Morecambe giant and his southpaw counterpart fancy parking their immediate challenges and meeting in the Middle East for all four of the major belts and a desert windfall.
The moving pieces and outrageous cash required to convince the two Londoners to wait their turn for world title cracks make the coup unlikely.
And the painstaking planning it would take to decide whether two-time former champ Joshua or frustrated challenger Whyte got their crack first makes it seem almost impossible.
But Joshua and Whyte’s shared promoter Eddie Hearn confirms the complicated cogs are slowly turning in a bid to make the multifaceted deal.
The Matchroom boss said: “We are all still moving toward Joshua vs Usyk, in a London stadium in April, and Fury vs Whyte.
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“But there are still people who would like to see Fury vs Usyk for the undisputed and would be willing to pay a lot of money for it.
“If there is a lot of money in the pot and there can be a plan put in place to make all the fighters happy then there is a chance it can happen, but the problem is time.
“A lot of things are needed to happen for that fight to take place. These conversations started a month ago but they are very complex.”
The order of the queue to face the winner of Fury vs Usyk would be a problem.
As would guaranteeing the newly crowned undisputed king did not retire at the very top and scatter all the belts around the division.
So even if Saudi Arabia or Dubai can stump up the tens of millions needed to pay Joshua and Whyte to step aside, it will take watertight contracts and military level planning to pull it off.
And with an already delayed Fury vs Whyte purse bid set to happen on Friday – and most likely be delayed again – Hearn admits time is another fearsome opponent.
“It is not just about compensation for the fighters”, he said. “It is about a plan.
“We would want Joshua and Dillian to be happy with the whole scenario.
“It is boxing, it is messy and there is a lot of money involved so it is getting even messier.
“We are not really nearing a deal for Whyte vs Fury, everybody knows that there are arbitrations and legal cases and appeals into various things and that explains the delay.
“The next purse bid is expected for Whyte and Fury on Friday but I expect that to be delayed again.”
