Usman vs. Eubank Jr. Boxing Talks Heat Up: Report

The clock is ticking on one of the most bizarre crossover fights in recent memory. Promoter Ben Shalom has confirmed to Sky Sports that negotiations between UFC superstar Kamaru Usman and British boxing villain Chris Eubank Jr. are "advanced but not finalized," with a hard deadline of August 15 to get signatures on paper. Miss that date? The whole thing gets scrapped.

Here's where the money sits: Usman is guaranteed $8 million for stepping into the squared circle, while Eubank Jr. pockets $5 million plus a cut of UK pay-per-view - but he wants a 50/50 split on those British box office numbers, estimated at £26.95 per household on Sky Box Office. That request is the current sticking point. Usman's camp, led by Ali Abdelaziz, has reportedly balked at handing over half of the PPV pie to a man who hasn't fought since his brutal war with Conor Benn. The fight is slated for November 2026, with a venue shortlist that reads like a fantasy booking: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (corporate hospitality only, no public tickets) or Wembley Stadium (80,000 seats, £40 upper tier to £2,500 ringside). Shalom wants the spectacle; the fighters want the payday. Right now, it's a tug-of-war over a few million quid.

📊 $13 million combined purse - The largest combined payout for a UFC-to-boxing crossover since Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor's $600 million juggernaut, but minus the global PPV infrastructure.

But the drama doesn't stop at the purse split. Eubank Jr. is demanding the fight be sanctioned for the IBO Middleweight title - a belt left vacant after Janibek Alimkhanuly moved up in weight. Usman's team initially pushed for a 10-round exhibition, a request Shalom flat-out rejected. The promoter insists this must be a 12-round professional bout with the WBC interim middleweight title on the line. Usman has been sparring 12 rounds daily in Miami for three weeks, per his manager, so the conditioning is there. But is the willingness to take a real loss there? That's the question fueling this entire circus.

Weight Games, Drug Testing, and the "Catchweight" Chaos

This is where things get technical, messy, and frankly, a little insane. The proposed contract calls for a catchweight of 162 lbs - six pounds above the traditional middleweight limit - with a rehydration clause that caps Eubank Jr. at 172 lbs on fight morning. For context, Eubank Jr. has routinely walked around at 180+ pounds between fights. Forcing him to come in under 172 the morning of the bout is a massive advantage for Usman, who has spent his entire UFC career wrestling at welterweight (170 lbs) and would likely rehydrate to around 185 naturally.

Eubank Jr. hasn't publicly complained about the rehydration limit - yet. Instead, he's gone all-in on the IBO title demand, framing it as a legacy play. "I only sign for belts," he said on his podcast. "If Usman wants to dance, he dances for the title." Usman's camp sees it differently: they view the IBO as a second-tier trinket and want the WBC interim strap, which carries more weight in the American market. It's a classic promoter's nightmare: two fighters, two sanctioning bodies, no compromise in sight.

The one thing both sides have agreed on? VADA 24/7 random drug testing with zero exemptions. This is notable given Usman's history - he served a six-month USADA suspension back in 2019, though he's been clean ever since. Eubank Jr. has never failed a test, but his father's legacy is forever tangled in the sport's doping scandals, so he's eager to appear squeaky clean. Shalom has confirmed both teams signed off on the testing protocol earlier this week, calling it "the gold standard" for a fight of this magnitude. It's the only thing both sides have agreed on without a fight.

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