![Tyson Fury after fighting Dillian Whyte - Fury, Usyk, Joshua and Wilder super-fight night discussed – but it is an impossible dream](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/boxing/2023/04/18/TELEMMGLPICT000293762340_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqRo0U4xU-30oDveS4pXV-Vv4Xpit_DMGvdp2n7FDd82k.jpeg?imwidth=680)
Fury, Usyk, Joshua and Wilder super-fight night discussed – but it is an impossible dream
Plus, analysis: Negotiations over $400 million double header in Saudi Arabia part of chess game between heavyweight boxing's power brokers
![Tyson Fury after fighting Dillian Whyte - Fury, Usyk, Joshua and Wilder super-fight night discussed – but it is an impossible dream](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/boxing/2023/04/18/TELEMMGLPICT000293762340_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqRo0U4xU-30oDveS4pXV-Vv4Xpit_DMGvdp2n7FDd82k.jpeg?imwidth=680)
Eddie Hearn has confirmed discussions are taking place to hold a super-fight double header in Saudi Arabia that would feature Tyson Fury against Oleksandr Usyk plus Anthony Joshua against Deontay Wilder on the same card for $400 million.
His promotional rivals on Tuesday played it down as just rumours but Hearn outlined discussions that have been broached, in an interview with iFL TV, admitting that there was a desire from the Middle East to make events involving the biggest heavyweight names, involving four of the major names, and the undisputed title.
“There is definitely some appetite from the Middle East to stage that event,” Hearn explained. “There have been conversations with people who would like to host Fury vs Usyk and Joshua vs Wilder on the same night. It’s going to cost a lot of money, but it would be epic.
“But, it’s going to take four fighters to commit to that and four separate deals to take place, but if the money’s right then I’m sure it can happen.” Hearn estimated that it could cost around $400 million (£320 million).
However, the teams for Fury and Usyk, who between them hold the four world title belts, claimed that they were not at the same table as Hearn, Joshua and Wilder.
Hearn also disclosed that his charge Joshua - who defeated Jermaine Franklin on points in London two weeks ago - is in talks to fight in the region, although the door has been left open for Joshua to take a summer fight.
“For AJ, his big fight will come in the Middle East, and that will be in December. That will be Tyson Fury or Deontay Wilder,” he said.
Malik Scott, Wilder’s trainer, also confirmed talks with Saudi Arabia for his fighter. He told iFL TV: “I’m on the inside of the meetings, Deontay has me sitting right next to him when we’re doing these meetings.
“What I can say is the things people are hearing are not fibs. The negotiations have begun, not with certain fighters or certain things, but the negotiations are definitely intact."
Hearn added that there was still the possibility of a contest in the summer for Joshua, but that will depend on how plans are fleshed out for December.
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“There is no official decision as to whether AJ will fight in July. Some of that may come around the deal or the decision or the completion of that fight in December," Hearn explained. "I would quite like to see him fight in July and he would like to fight, but right now he is not in camp for a July fight. The focus is on getting the December fight over the line, which is a fight of huge proportions, and then we will make a decision on the July fight.”
Hearn disclosed that a rematch with Dillian Whyte was still an option for the summer. A spokesperson for Fury, the World Boxing Council champion, told Telegraph Sport on Tuesday that there were "different plans being suggested every week". Fury’s promoter, Frank Warren, also said that there were no concrete talks ongoing for a tournament in the Middle East for later in the year.
Talks were ongoing for months for a unification mega-fight between Fury and Usyk to be held at Wembley this month but negotiations broke down over a rematch-clause disagreement.
The management team for Usyk also confirmed to Telegraph Sport that the Ukrainian "has been in discussions" with Daniel Dubois "which is going ahead" with Usyk defending the World Boxing Association heavyweight title against the Londoner, who is the mandatory challenger to the belt, this summer.
'Big four' fighting on one bill will not happen but fans need hope of a resolution
By Gareth A Davies
Tyson Fury against Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua against Deontay Wilder on the same card on the same night would be an extraordinary event - but in reality it is a truly impossible scenario and will not happen.
It is something that only a Middle East sports consortium could possibly underwrite, given its estimated cost at around $400 million.
Saudi Arabia have the money, and have shown they have the willingness and the ambition to dive deep into boxing, yet getting four of the biggest boxers in the world, their teams and their broadcasters together to make it happen really does become an impossible dream.
But some out there have been dreaming it in the past week or two, with movers and shakers in the background going over the possibilities.
Nothing wrong with the idea, but in practice, it will not work. Deep down, Eddie Hearn knows this, but it is a gambit from him, and continues the epic game of power-broking chess ongoing at present in heavyweight boxing's game of thrones.
There are no winning scenarios at present, with the leading four fighters - Fury, Usyk, Joshua and Wilder - having earned big paydays in the past two or three years, while the fans of the sport sigh collectively every time a major fight is mentioned, and then collapses. Either the timing is off, the money is not right, or the egos are not being satisfied. If the money is right, the biggest fighters will bury their egos, but the idea of the "big four" sharing a poster, a press conference stage, or even dressing rooms in the same arena or stadium does not fit.
Weirdly, moreover - and anything can happen in heavyweight boxing - if the two fights were to go ahead, and the favourites were to win, we would get Fury vs Wilder 4 and Usyk vs Joshua 3 in the follow-up fights.
What we do have at present is the world's richest fights consistently being teased, only for them to collapse. What the fans, and the sports world, needs to see, and with alacrity, is simply a willingness from the top four to fight each other, and make it sooner rather than later. Their prime will soon be over. Usyk and Fury are undefeated. It is an era-defining contest. While Joshua and Wilder still have things to prove.
It could be an epic era for the heavyweights if they do sign and fight. It is worth recalling that there was a heavyweight unification series, known as the Heavyweight World Series, in 1986 and 1987 that involved a sequence of professional boxing matches to crown an undisputed heavyweight champion.
Promoted by Don King, it was broadcast on HBO Sports and ended with Mike Tyson as undisputed champion holding the International Boxing Federation, World Boxing Association and World Boxing Council titles.
Different times, of course, but if Tyson were in his pomp now, willing to take on all-comers, three times a year, you suspect that we might have a series of events already planned in the Middle East, with it all happening quickly.