The third instalment to the Tyson Fury vs Deontay Wilder boxing rivalry will not happen this summer.
This after boxing promoter Bob Arum revealed that the heavyweight title fight is likely to be moved to a later date due to the coronavirus pandemic, which already claimed thousands of lives around the world.
Wilder, who suffered the first defeat of his career last month after a seventh-round technical knockout loss to the ‘Gypsy King,’ has officially exercised his right to an immediate rematch, with the trilogy fight scheduled to go down on July 18 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The American knockout artist has blamed his 45-pound ring-walk costume for the loss and has vowed to rise again ‘like a phoenix’ to recapture the WBC heavyweight title that he previously held for five years.
But his plans to seek revenge will be delayed as the trilogy fight is being pushed back to October.
Not Isolated
Speaking to ESPN, the Top Rank chairman said it would not make sense if the fight goes ahead as planned this summer.
“Clearly not,” Arum responded when he asked if the fight if the fight will be held on July 18.
“We don’t even know if the MGM will even be open by then.”
“You could not guarantee the fighters that the event would take place on that date. We couldn’t convince them or ourselves.”
“Where were they going to train for it? It just made no sense. You just have to take a step back. How are you going to sell tickets? It’s absolutely ridiculous to say the fight is on when the Brits can’t even get there.”
“So everybody has to take a step back. Boxing is not isolated. It’s part of what’s happening in the world.”
“So possibly the fight will be in early October.”
No AJ Fight This Year
The heavyweight pair first fought to a contentious draw in December 2018, when Fury dominated the early rounds before Wilder scored a pair of knockdowns in the final rounds.
The British heavyweight remained undefeated in 31 fights, following his TKO win in February, to become a two-time heavyweight champion of the world.
If he successfully defends the WBC belt against Wilder, Fury is expected to fight Anthony Joshua in a much-anticipated unification bout in what could be the biggest boxing fight ever in the United Kingdom.
But with the Fury-Wilder III being rescheduled, the highly-anticipated all-Brit heavyweight showdown is unlikely to happen in 2020.
Joshua, 30, reclaimed the WBA, WBO, IBF, and IBO heavyweight titles in December 2018 with a unanimous decision win over Andy Ruiz Jr.
(Featured Image Source: Instagram/ Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury)