Promoter Bob Arum expects his promotional heavyweight charge and WBC world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury to make a considerable amount of money when he finally steps inside the ropes and faces unified heavyweight world champion Oleksandr Usyk.
Fury is next in action when he faces former UFC world heavyweight champion and MMA powerhouse Francis Ngannou on October 28 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The WBC heavyweight champion had previously failed to agree to terms with Usyk regarding a possible April encounter, which would have been held at London’s Wembley Stadium. Despite insisting that Usyk take a flat percentage of 30% for the undisputed encounter for the April 29th date, terms ultimately collapsed due to Fury’s inability to agree on percentage purse splits regarding possible rematch clauses.
Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority are responsible for funding Fury’s fights with Ngannou and Usyk with the government body headed by Turki Alalshikh, the head figure of Riyadh Season.
No date has been confirmed for the undisputed heavyweight affair between Fury and Usyk, but dates of December 23 and the opening month of 2024 have been touted within boxing circles.
Arum, when speaking to a group of reporters, insists that Fury still has to take care of business on October 28 against Ngannou, with a rematch clause in Fury’s if a shock defeat was to happen, which sees Ngannou being declared the winner.
Ultimately, if and when Fury moves past Ngannou, it’s ‘off to the races.’
“Tyson has to take care of business on October 28, when he fights Ngannou, and then we’re off to the races with the unified heavyweight championship.”
Fury is set to earn a reported purse of approximately $50million against Ngannou in October. Arum speculated to reporters that Fury will at least make above $100million when he faces Usyk, insisting that if Fury earns $100million, the WBC world champion would be ‘pissed off’ if that was his final purse total.
“If you told Tyson Fury he’s set to make a$100 million, he’d really get pissed off because he thinks, and I think he’s right, that he’s going to make a lot more. I don’t know the number ... but it’s a lot more than $100 million.”
In recent months, Fury has spoken about how he is only interested in fighting for ‘big money’ and has targeted bouts with Jon Jones of the UFC inside the octagon, along with a MMA fight under the same rules with Ngannou in the future.
