Boxing promoter Frank Warren has come to the defence of Tyson Fury as he and his team have been criticised by frustrated fight fans over the ongoing Oleksandr Usyk saga.
The highly-anticipated bout, which would have seen a undisputed heavyweight champion crowned for the first time since 1999, was called off just over a month out from its scheduled date at the end of this month (29 April) following a dispute over some of the particulars in the contract.
Moreover, after a controversial clip of Fury explaining that he’ll “never fight” Usyk resurfaced online, along with various other ‘offensive’ and ‘unpalatable’ comments throughout negotiations, the Ukrainian’s camp has stated that the Furys have “disrespected the fans” and it looks like many of them agree.
Fatigued with the typical and tiresome back and forth the sport seems to be continually throwing up, many fans are now calling out Fury for ‘wasting their time’ and effectively exploding the fight from within. However, his promoter Frank Warren believes their criticism is misplaced.
Frank Warren on Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk: “Do you know what's killed this? Social media. All the p***ing around on social media. If it'd been left to people to do it in a grown-up way, there wouldn't have been a problem.” [@talkSPORT talkBOXING]
Speaking to Simon Jordan on talkSPORT‘s boxing show, Warren clarified that despite mixed information from both sides, it was Fury’s camp that requested a rematch clause be inserted into the agreement to not only give Usyk multiple chances, but to increase the payday on both sides.
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He also detailed how Usyk and co. stipulated that they wanted a 70/30 split of the purse from the rematch as well, i.e. the reverse of the original deal for the first fight — one of several reasons why discussions apparently broke down.
Moreover, the head of Queensberry Promotions said that another aspect that has complicated the fight is social media, insisting that “if it’d been left to people to do it in a grown-up way, there wouldn’t have been a problem”.
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Admitting that even Tyson hasn’t helped in that respect, especially when it came to putting out seemingly arbitrary deadlines regarding the Antony Joshua fight as well — one which also collapsed in a similarly drawn out fashion — he argued that both boxers have ended up drumming up a stance and sticking with it.
Warren went on to say that despite a “few Tyson Fury haters” popping up of late, the Gypsy King “has never ducked anybody” and has fought plenty of his own ‘underdog’ fights in his time, including his bout against Wladimir Klitschko when he earned just £1 million as the mandatory challenger.
The 71-year-old insisted that people shouldn’t “criticise Tyson Fury [because] he’s had three fights in the [United] States against [Deontay] Wilder, great fights. One was probably the best round of the last ten years – that last round of the first fight.
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“The second fight was a phenomenal performance, and the third fight was the best heavyweight fight I’ve seen live in my time in boxing”, he said, adding that it was Usyk that pulled out and had flown out to Turkey despite claiming to be in Kyiv.
It’s unlikely we’ll ever get the full truth from either side but, regardless, Warren reiterated that Usyk will now have to fight a mandatory bout against Daniel Dubois before he can get the opportunity to challenge Fury again. You can watch his interview with talkSPORT in full down below:
Featured Image — Tyson Fury (via Instagram)/Wikimedia Commons/Oleksandr Usyk
Sport
Premier League Darts is returning to Manchester’s AO Arena in 2027
Lydia Mastrolonardo
Premier League Darts is confirmed to be returning to Manchester next year.
Now’s your chance to see the youngest world champion in darts history, AKA Warrington’s very-own Luke ‘The Nuke’ Littler, show us how it’s done, as next year’s BetMGM Premier League Darts lineup has just been announced this week – with various dates confirmed across 17 different cities in the UK and Europe.
And Manchester is one of those cities, as the AO Arena has shared that they are set to host an evening next April, and we couldn’t be more excited about it.
This means that we will be lucky enough to witness the biggest names in world darts all under one roof, including headliners Gian van Veen and Luke Humphries, as well as Littler.
Manchester is the only northern city to get the pleasure of hosting the event next year, as Liverpool is also on the lineup, as is Leeds, Sheffield, and Newcastle, while elsewhere in the UK, the stars will travel to Glasgow, Birmingham, London, and several other major locations.
BetMGM Premier League Darts is to be held on Thursday 8 April at the AO Arena in Manchester, and to avoid being disappointed, fans are advised to register for presale ticket access.
Following a successful season of events in 2026, tickets are expected to be like gold-dust, so don’t say you haven’t been warned.
To access the first wave of tickets, fans must become an active PDCTV Annual Member before 23:59pm on Friday 9 October. Alternatively, general sale is on Thursday 22 October 2026, but make sure not to hang about.
Featured Image – Sandro Halank (via Wikimedia Commons)
Sport
Andy Burnham wants to scrap the ‘unfair’ ban on drinking alcohol in football stands
Emily Sergeant
Andy Burnham has claimed he wants to scrap the ‘unfair’ ban on fans getting to drink alcohol in football stands.
It’s a ban that’s been in place in the top five tiers of men’s football since 1985, when fears over violence and hooliganism were at their height, but now the Prime Minister has raised the question of whether drinking in football stands – or ‘drinking in sight / view of the pitch’, as it’s known formally – is actually unjust, due to the fact that same rules don’t apply to fans of other sports.
“I don’t think it’s fair for football fans to be singled out in that way,” Andy Burnham has declared this week, grabbing headlines in the process.
He continued: “I think that legislation dates to an era where football was very different, and I do believe there is a case to remove that discrimination.
“I’m not going to back away from what’s been a long-held view of mine. I don’t see how it can be fair that some supporters of one sport can be treated differently.”
The Prime Minister’s comments have been met with mixed response.
Andy Burnham wants to scrap the ‘unfair’ ban on drinking alcohol in football stands / Credit: James Kirkup | Julia Nastogadka (via Unsplash)
The Football Supporters’ Association (FSA), for example, has very much welcomed the idea, saying that it ‘totally agrees’ the legislation is ‘outdated’ and ‘deserves to be reviewed’.
Tom Greatrex, chair of the FSA, said in a statement: “The FSA has always argued that it’s unfair to criminalise football fans for having a pint while watching the match – especially since you can sit in the same seat drinking alcohol whilst watching an Oasis gig or rugby league.”
However, on the flip side, the UK Football Policing Unit said it would be ‘incredibly rash’ to change the rules without proper consultation.
“Other sports simply don’t see the violence and criminal behaviour from their supporters that football does, albeit a minority, with alcohol often playing a significant part in violent and disorderly behaviour,” it said in a statement on the matter.
The Prime Minister did state in his initial proposition though that ‘there are different ways it could be done’, hinting that it could be done ‘on a trial basis’ perhaps.
The English Football League (EFL) added that it would be ‘receptive to discussions around reviewing current legislation and permitting alcoholic drinks within view of the pitch’.
No formal details on a review have been confirmed as of yet, so fans are encouraged to stay tuned for updates in due course.
Danny Jones -
4th April 2023 
