It looked like the fight was going to bite the dust, at least for now, but there looks to have been a break in the negotiations and we may yet see the biggest fight in the Division at Wembley Stadium on Saturday 29th April.
This is a huge fight and the winner will likely go down as the best Heavyweight of their generation with both Fury and Usyk unbeaten and looking like the strongest players in the weight class.
I just hope we get an official announcement early next week so we can really begin to look forward to a first Undisputed Heavyweight Champion since Lennox Lewis.
The injury to Callum Smith has robbed one of the cards set for this weekend of the main event, but there are some big fights to come as the 2023 Boxing season continues with a pace.
The biggest fight of the day comes from Australia where Tim Tszyu takes on former World Champion Tony Harrison in a really good looking bout. Winning this one will set the fighter on a path to face Jermell Charlo, who withdrew from an Undisputed bout against Tszyu with an injury, and I think the 154 Division is a fascinating one that will have plenty of interested eyes on this big fight.
This has been a slow start to the year for the Boxing Picks, but last weekend was a good one with a 2-1 record and a big winner in the Lewis Ritson-Ohara Davies fight in Newcastle.
Hopefully this is the weekend to turn things around completely and get back into a profitable position after the 2022 winning year.
Tim Tszyu vs Tony Harrison
The local time will be sometime in the afternoon on Sunday, but this big WBO Interim World Title fight has been scheduled to make sure it is shown in the United States at a time they have become accustomed to watching Boxing on a Saturday evening.
That isn't helpful to us over in the United Kingdom with the bout scheduled for the early hours of Sunday morning, but the Tim Tszyu vs Tony Harrison fight looks like one worth staying up for.
Both of these fighters will enter the ring with a lot of confidence in their ability- Tim Tszyu is still unbeaten and fighting in front of his own fans, while Tony Harrison is a former World Champion and the sole boxer to have beaten Jermell Charlo, albeit controversially.
He lost the rematch with Charlo and that was the third time Tony Harrison had not only lost a bout, but the third time he had been stopped in the second half of the contest. Once again he had been leading on one of the cards, as Harrison had been against Jarrett Hurd, and the question for the American is whether he can keep Tim Tszyu at bay.
We all know what Tszyu wants to do and I do think the early Rounds will be dominated by Tony Harrison who has the reach and the sound boxing skills to pick off the unbeaten opponent as he is coming in.
Winning a Decision in Sydney will not be easy, but I do think it will be a fight where Tony Harrison can build a lead.
However, keeping the younger, hungry Tim Tszyu from coming forward and beginning to lay down some big shots is going to be very difficult.
No one can dispute that this is a big step up for Tszyu as he looks to really come out of his father's shadow, but he has to believe he can break down Harrison who has shown that vulnerability late in fights as he slows down. At 32 years old, Tony Harrison might be at the back end of his career having had some tough fights in his career, while the win over Sergio Garcia was impressive, but against an opponent who doesn't have the same bullish power as Tim Tszyu will bring into the ring.
I did think Tony Harrison could take the game plan that Terrell Gausha brought into the fight with Tszyu and the former can do a little bit more all around.
However, the late thoughts ahead of this Interim World Title fight is that Tony Harrison could be bulled and broken down by Tim Tszyu through the second half of this one.
Tony Harrison has power that has to be respected and great boxing skills, but Tim Tszyu will bite down on the gum shield and he will be willing to come forward throughout this one. That pressure has worn down Harrison in previous defeats and I can't shake the fact that Tszyu will find a way to hurt him late and perhaps earn a controversial finish with an overenthusiastic referee calling it off prematurely.
Earning a Decision in Australia will be hard for Tony Harrison, but he has the skills- the biggest test for him in this one may be keeping himself out of trouble in the Championship Rounds.
There are a couple of other cards being broadcasted in the United Kingdom on Saturday night- one of those is from Liverpool on DAZN, the other from Paris on Sky Sports.
Callum Smith was supposed to headline in Liverpool, but an injury has forced him out and there is every chance that he goes directly into a World Title fight with Artur Beterbiev.
Instead Diego Pacheco has an opportunity to underline his status as one of the top prospects on the Matchroom roster when he takes on Jack Cullen.
Seventeen wins, fourteen by Stoppage has really gotten the fans excited about the Super Middleweight and none of the last four opponents have been able to last more than Five Rounds against Diego Pachecho.
For all of the heart and guts we have seen from Jack Cullen, he has lost three times and all by Stoppage.
The move up from Middleweight has not seen Cullen carry much power to this Division, while he was crushed by Kevin Lele Sadjo a couple of fights ago. This is an opportunity for Jack Cullen to make a big statement and turn his own career around, but Eddie Hearn has likely sensed he is the perfect opponent for a huge hitter like Diego Pacheco to show off all that is good about himself and that will lead to a relatively early night.
The Light Heavyweight Division is thriving both domestically and in the world, and British fighter Dan Azeez looks to continue his steady rise to join the likes of Anthony Yarde and Joshua Buatsi as a World level contender.
He is already highly Ranked in three of the four organisations, but Dan Azeez will arrive in Paris with the intention to add the European Light Heavyweight Title to the British and Commonwealth belts he already has in his possession.
At 33 years old you do want Dan Azeez to make the big steps forward and this is an important year in that regard, but this is a very tough Division as Yarde has already found out.
I do think Azeez will have too much for Thomas Faure, and the wearing style of the British fighter will see him break down the home hope.
This feels a considerable step up for Faure who has not fought for over a year and the pressure of Dan Azeez could see him win this fight before needing to get into the second half of the contest.
It has been ten months since Tony Yoka took a pretty big beating from Martin Bakole as he lost his unbeaten record in the professional ranks, but he is headlining this card in Paris against veteran Carlos Takam.
A once durable fighter, Takam has been Stopped in three of his last four losses, although he did become the first to go the distance with Arslanbek Makhmudov in a losing effort.
I do think there will be some demons to exorcise for Tony Yoka in this one, but I expect him to start going through the gears once the first couple of Rounds are over.
A few years ago you could have made a real case for Carlos Takam to spring the upset, but the veteran is a faded force these days and Yoka has the skills to get the referee to step in as he looks to get his pro career back on track.
MY PICKS: Tim Tszyu to Win Between 7-12 @ 3.75 Sky Bet (2 Units)
Diego Pacheco to Win Between 1-5 @ 1.80 Sky Bet (2 Units)
Dan Azeez to Win Between 1-6 @ 2.87 Sky Bet (2 Units)
Tony Yoka to Win by KO/TKO/Disqualification @ 2.87 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Boxing 2023: 5-8, - 2.34 Units (24 Units Staked, - 9.75% Yield)
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