From Dan Raphael
A tentative deal has been reached for the long-awaited undisputed heavyweight title fight between lineal/WBC champion Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, who holds the WBA, WBO and IBF belts, according to WBA president Gilberto Jesus Mendoza.
Mendoza told Fight Freaks Unite on Friday that the sides notified him that they have reached an agreement, although he said they still had to “work on the contracts.”
Mendoza was told of the deal, which was struck between Fury co-promoter Frank Warren and Usyk promoter Alex Krassyuk, just before the WBA, which had grown tired of waiting for an agreement, was poised to notify Usyk by 5 p.m. ET on Friday that it was going to order his mandatory defense against England’s Daniel Dubois (19-1, 18K KOs). He holds the WBA “regular” title and is also promoted by Warren. Usyk-Dubois would be worth a fraction of the money Usyk can make by facing Fury.
The WBA had previously held off on making the order to give Usyk and Fury time to make a fight that would crown the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the four-belt era and the first undisputed champion in the division since Lennox Lewis outpointed Evander Holyfield in their rematch to unify the three major titles in Las Vegas on Nov. 13, 1999.
“It seems Usyk versus Fury will happen,” Mendoza said. “There is an agreement between Usyk and Fury. They will provide a contract and dates. They are basically saying an agreement has been reached, let’s work on the contracts.”