The much-speculated fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk has reportedly been called off, according to the Ukrainian boxer’s manager, Egis Klimas.
As per SNAC and Ring magazine writer Steve Kim, who had a phone call with Klimas on Tuesday, the fight scheduled for 29 April this year has now been postponed indefinitely, adding that Usyk and his team must “pursue their mandatory obligations” first, i.e. the fight against challenger Daniel Dubois.
Fight fans will be frustrated as the fighters were said to have been given a 10 March deadline to reach an agreement over the bout — with Fury offering a 70/30 split — however, it appears that only a ‘tentative agreement’ was ever reached and the WBA now expect Usyk to fight dubois before the WBC champion.
Kim went on to quote Klimas as having insisted that “no matter how much Usyk compromised, he was pushed for more” from Fury’s camp ahead of the final deadline on April 1, stating “enough is enough” and that they are now eyeing up a return in June/July. This does all feel like a bit of an early April Fool’s.
Just got off the horn with Egis Klimas, he says that team Usyk is moving off the Fury fight for April 29th, and will now pursue their mandatory obligations. "No matter how much Usyk compromised, he was pushed for more." They hope to have him back in June/July #boxing
— Steve Kim – the Thomas Sowell of Boxing (@SteveKim323) March 22, 2023
These claims have since been backed up by ESPN‘s Mike Coppinger, who explained that the final Fury vs Usyk talks ultaimtely collapsed because they “couldn’t agree on other material terms critical to the deal beyond the purse split”.
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While it is unclear as to the exact terms being argued over, Usyk informed his follwers earlier this month that he agreed to the inital 70/30 split on the one proviso that he donate £1 million to the Ukraine relief fund along with 1% of his total winnings, dubbing Fury a “greedy belly” in a video message.
The 36-year-old also dispute Fury’s claims that his camp asked for a rematch clause, insisting that the suggestions came from the home team. Either way, it meant that the fight at Wembley on 29 April would have likely been the first in what would have gone on to be a trilogy fight.
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Nevertheless, despite being ‘agreed’ as early as December 2022, many feel the pair have played boxing fans, with the likes of Dana White criticising the fight and the sport in general, stating: “that is boxing… the big fights that should happen never happen and when they do it’s always [too] late”.
The proposed four-belt clash would see Usyk put all three of his his IBF, WBO and WBA titles on the line to try and claim Fury’s WBC belt to crown an undisputed heavyweight champion for the first time in the divsion since Lennox Lewis from 1999 to 2000.
Although the Fury vs Usyk will likely go ahead at some point, the entire situation does bear a striking resemblance to the Manc boxer’s previous fight palava with Anthony Joshua, where the deadline for the fight was delayed so long that not only did the interest expire but so did the window of opportunity.
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Here’s hoping they dont wait as long to sort this one out.
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 -
22nd March 2023 
