Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk have agreed to fight each other next in a huge undisputed bout, according to promoter Bob Arum.
An incredibly comfortable win over Derek Chisora at the start of the month saw Fury defend his WBC title, with Usyk holding all of the other heavyweight belts after his second victory over Anthony Joshua.
The Ukrainian was ringside for Fury’s win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and the pair went face-to-face after that bout, with both camps since making it clear they want that fight.
It looks set to happen in early 2023, before mandatory requirements mean the belts could well become fragmented.
“The two fighters have agreed to fight each other next,” Arum told Sky Sports.
“With Fury and Usyk we’re dealing with two adults, not a lot of back and forth. Usyk is a good friend of mine, he’s very intelligent and Tyson is Superman, both as an athlete and as an intellect.
“So they want the fight. Both of them want the fight. So we’ll be able to make that happen. I’m very, very confident.”
There is still a key decision to be made though, with a number of possible options when it comes to where the fight takes place.
The Middle East appears to be the most likely destination, with Usyk’s win over Joshua in August taking place in Saudi Arabia. Arum hopes a final decision will be made before the end of the year.
“We are balancing a couple of significant offers from the Middle East and also there’s the possibility of doing the fight in the UK at Wembley with a massive 95,000 crowd in attendance,” Arum said.
“Fighters have a relatively short life and money is important. So if the money which has been proposed to us is real that has to be taken into consideration.”
He added: “To go back to Wembley and do a fight before 95,000 people for me really stirs up the blood. It would be crazy. It would just be wonderful.”
