TYSON FURY’S hopes of fighting Oleksandr Usyk in an undisputed heavyweight title clash have taken a huge blow.
That’s after the WBA ordered the Ukrainian to to face mandatory challenger Daniel Dubois instead.
Fury and Usyk were previously looking to fight each other this month before talks collapsed.
The Gypsy King then failed to secure a bout against Anthony Joshua.
And he ended up sparring old chum Derek Chisora instead.
Fury is now thought to be hell-bent on facing Usyk next year.
But the WBA and IBF have both thrown a spanner in the works.
The WBA have told Usyk he must face mandatory challenger Dubois next.
And the IBF have taken the exact same line by ordering Usyk to fight Filip Hrgovic.
That means Fury faces an anxious wait as promoters look to fix the situation.
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Vacating belts is not an option, as the whole idea of Fury vs Usyk is to unify the heavyweight division.
And it could come down to Dubois and Hrgovic being offered substantial sums of step-aside money.
In Dubois’ case, he and Fury are both represented by Queensbury Promotions, making a deal easier to negotiate.
But Hrgovic is a Matchroom man, and Eddie Hearn has already dismissed the idea of his man stepping down for Usyk to fight Fury.
Hearn said: “The IBF ordered it. We’ve already said we’re not willing to negotiate.
“This is the request of the team. I want to have an immediate purse bid. That’s within the rules of the IBF. That means you cannot get an exception.
“The only way Usyk can get one is if Hrgovic says he can. And he doesn’t want to because he wants to fight for the title.”
