Boxing


 

Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder are set for the third fight in July.

 

Recall, Fury was set to fight Anthony Joshua in August; however, arbitration hearing ruled Deontay Wilder must fight Fury again this summer; Bob Arum said Wilder wanted "preposterous" money to step aside, and that fight will happen in July; Fury: "I'm going to crack his skull wide open"

 

Deontay Wilder will not step aside from a third fight against Tyson Fury in order to allow his opponent to face Anthony Joshua, says Bob Arum.

 

Arum, who promotes Fury in the US, says a rematch between the Briton and Wilder is now set to take place in Las Vegas on July 24.

 

It is a severe blow to the hopes of seeing a unification bout between Joshua and Fury, who were set to fight in Saudi Arabia on August 14.

 

However, an arbitration hearing found this week that Wilder had a contractual right to another rematch against Fury, and that it must take place by the middle of September.

 

The pair were slated to fight for a third time last year, but the Covid pandemic, as well as an injury sustained by Wilder, saw Fury move on to the planned Joshua showdown.

 

Fury accused Wilder of demanding $20m to step aside and allow him to face Joshua - something the American's trainer Malik Scott denied - and he told The Athletic on Thursday: "I wouldn't pay him 20 grand. I'm going to crack his skull wide open this time."

 

And Arum told the Boxing Social: "No, there's no chance that he [Wilder] will step aside. He doesn't want to step aside, except for a totally preposterous number.

 

Neither Fury nor Wilder have fought since clashing in February 2020, when Fury outclassed the previously unbeaten American to win via a seventh-round technical knockout.

 

The two fighters had previously battled to an epic draw in 2018 at Staples Center Arena in Los Angeles after Fury survived a 12th round knockdown.

 

Leave your comment.