Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk have agreed terms for an undisputed world heavyweight title fight to take place in Saudi Arabia.
While a date is yet to be confirmed, the showdown will be scheduled for either December 23 or the early part of 2024.
Much may depend on the outcome of Fury's contest with UFC legend Francis Ngannou on October 28, the biggest concern arguably being an injury over the British fighter losing his undefeated record.
The 35-year-old will put his WBC belt on the line, while Usyk is looking to defend his IBF, WBA and WBO titles that he recently retained against Daniel Dubois.
Earlier this year, negotiations between the relevant parties broke down, Usyk insisting that he would take just 30% of the pot before the two teams could not reach a compromise over other terms.
However, as part of Riyadh season in Saudi Arabia, Fury and Usyk will now fight for their legacies, with this bout effectively taking place instead of the previously-touted Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua clash.
FURY Vs USYK Signed!
— TURKI ALALSHIKH (@Turki_alalshikh) September 29, 2023
EPIC BATTLE TO TAKE PLACE AS PART OF RIYADH SEASON#RiyadhSeason #Big_Time#FuryvsUsyk
#Kingdom_Arena pic.twitter.com/3yGgsYIBI5
Fury is yet to fight in 2023, with his last outing coming in December when he breezed to a one-sided triumph over Dereck Chisora at Wembley Stadium.
Usyk has fought just once since August 2022, that appearance coming just over a year later as he produced an indifferent performance in seeing off Dubois, who argued that a body punch that felled Usyk in the fifth round should not have been ruled as a low blow.
The announcement of the undisputed showdown has ramifications for Filip Hrgovic with the IBF mandatory challenger having been expected to face Usyk before the end of the year.
Darren Plant
