Tyson Fury’s third fight against Deontay Wilder is being pushed back until October according to ESPN’s Dan Rafael. Fury was scheduled to rematch Wilder on July 18 per the previously agreed-upon terms of their contract, but both sides have now agreed to move the fight to “early October” per Fury’s co-promoter Bob Arum.
“So everybody has to take a step back. Boxing is not isolated. It’s part of what’s happening in the world,” Arum said per ESPN. “So possibly the fight will be in early October.”
Fury and Wilder battled to a split draw in December 2018. The two heavyweight champs met again in a rematch in February 2020 where Fury dominated and stopped the previously unbeaten American power puncher in seven one-sided rounds.
The two were set to rematch in July after Wilder triggered a rematch clause, but now the fight will be pushed back to October at the earliest. Moreover, it’s possible the fight could be pushed even later in the year, or even to the next, should the coronavirus pandemic cause a longer halt to sporting action across the globe than anticipated.
The reality of the situation is that nobody knows how long the worldwide shutdown is going to last right now.
Regardless, Arum told Rafael that he has remained in contact with Wilder’s co-manager Al Haymon throughout this situation and that both of boxing’s top powerbrokers were are on the same page in regards to how they should handle the situation.
Fury vs. Wilder 3 is going happen, and both sides want that fight to be the next bout on each man’s schedule. More importantly, it seems as if Fury vs. Wilder 3 is contractually obligated per the terms of the two sides coming together to make the second fight happen a few months ago.
So arguably the two best heavyweights in the world today will meet next for the rubber match of the exciting trilogy battle. Fury is likely to be the heavy favorite in the third fight, but Wilder’s incredible power always gives the American a puncher’s chance at victory.
And Arum confirmed to ESPN that all parties involved in getting the third fight on the table are working through their process.
“Al and his people are in touch with us all the time on this,” Arum said per ESPN. “We see things the same way. We’ll be very, very cautious moving ahead and pray this will be over at a particular time and we will be able to make smart plans. Nobody has ever experienced anything like this before.”
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Huge Change of Plans for Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder 3