Oleksandr Usyk Promoter: If I Was Anthony Joshua, I Would Take Step-Aside Offer Seriously
Anthony Joshua should seriously consider any offer to step aside.
That’s according to Oleksandr Usyk‘s promoter Alexander Krassyuk who was commenting on recent reports that Joshua was offered and had accepted a £15 million payout to step aside from his planned rematch with Usyk.
That would, in turn, allow Usyk to fight WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury in a title unification clash.
Joshua, however, would recently come out and deny those reports.
“You know what’s mad about all these interviews I see? I see certain interviews that quote what I said and I think to myself: ‘I haven’t done no interviews.’ I’m hearing people saying: ‘AJ accepts £15m to step aside’. I ain’t signed no contract; I ain’t seen no contract.
“So as it stands, stop listening to the bullshit until it comes from me. I’m the man in control of my own destiny, I’m the man that handles my business. I’m a smart individual and I make calculated decisions every step of the way. Don’t listen to the bullshit from other sources. If I tell you something then you know it’s real.”
Interestingly, Joshua didn’t rule out the possibility of stepping aside which led many to believe there is such an offer.
If that is the case, Krassyuk believes it could be beneficial for “AJ” to accept in more ways than one.
“I don’t know the money AJ was offered,” Krassyuk told Boxing Social (via BoxingScene). “I don’t know if he agreed to it. Or if he accepted it. According to Telegraph UK, he said he did. Which I think would be a reasonable step, but let’s think about it theoretically. What options [does Joshua] have?
“Let’s say [Joshua] fights Usyk next. Would he earn more? Maybe? I don’t know. Maybe something around that. Will it be a risky fight for him? Definitely, yes. If he loses to Usyk a second time, many question marks for his future. Here, if he gets this money and he gets the guarantee of fighting the winner of Fury-Usyk, then he gets his money and he gets the chance to fight for the undisputed. It’s a big benefit for him. So if I was AJ I would probably consider this offer very seriously.”
Dillian Whyte A Factor Along With Anthony Joshua
With that said, the whole situation that would allow Fury to fight Usyk still remains unlikely in reality.
That’s because in addition to Joshua is Fury’s WBC mandatory opponent Dillian Whyte who also has to agree to step aside.
“We discussed the possibility, if the money is right and there is a guarantee that the winner fights AJ next, if everyone is happy, then there are no big obstacles,” Krassyuk said. “There’s one more man playing a role in this movie and it’s Dillian Whyte being the mandatory for Fury and he is also has to be satisfied with the conditions. I think according to my experience it’s kind of complicated scheme to get real. Still, there is a chance that all the parties agree and that we see the undisputed heavyweight championship.
“It’s still just words. We think about this, we suppose it [could] happen, but we have no guarantee that this will take place. Unless there is no certainty about it, our basic option remains the same: the second fight between AJ and Usyk, the rematch.”
Do you think Anthony Joshua will step aside allowing us to get a Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk fight?
