Fury and Wilder Verbally Agree to Third Fight in Las Vegas in July 2021
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
Las Vegas, NV (May 21, 2021)– In a dramatic turn of events accentuating the ongoing drama between the top bickering heavyweights in the heavyweight division, World Boxing Council World Heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and former WBC champion Deontay Wilder have verbally agreed to fight each other for the third time in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 24, 2021, with an established alternate backup date of August 14, 2021, if the July date gets postponed.
Separately, Anthony Joshua, the World Boxing Association, World Boxing Organisation, International Boxing Federation and International Boxing Organization World Heavyweight champion, is facing a mandatory WBO titular defense against former world cruiserweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.
The COVID-19 Novel Coronavirus pandemic contributed to a delay clamp on the originally scheduled Fury-Wilder third rubber match. Fury forged ahead instead with plans to fight a theoretical 155 million dollars unification match with Joshua. Wilder went to civil court to enforce the promised third rubber match with Fury, and a civil arbitrator ruled in his favor. According to Top Rank promoter Bob Arum on ESPN, Wilder opted to accept a 60-40 purse in Fury’s favor for the July 2021 rematch, rather than accept 20 million dollars to step aside to allow the Fury versus Joshua bout to go through in Saudi Arabia on August 14, 2021, after the arbitrator’s ruling in his favor. Fury, 30-0-1 with 21 knockouts, Wilmslow, United Kingdom, Wilder, 42-1-1 with 41 knockouts, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Joshua, 24-1 with 22 knockouts, Watford, United Kingdom, and Usyk, 18-0 with 13 knockouts, Oxnard, California via Ukraine, are the big names in the heavyweight division for the moment.
Joshua now will be positioning himself instead to fight the winner of the Fury versus Wilder trilogy bout. Having lost to Andy Ruiz Jr. on American soil, Joshua would see a better payday and a better venue versus Tyson Fury in either his native Great Britain or in Saudi Arabia. A December 2021 date with destiny for Joshua versus the Fury versus Wilder trilogy bout winner is the likely scenario. Thus far the heavyweight division has continued to defy the pandemic, as the legalistic horseplay has made the heavyweight division one more so of legal drama than a medical drama. Fury versus Wilder three will have to be supported by a spectacular undercard, which will be assembled in the months to come. Wilder seems to be a man on a mission. Fury seems to have no issue obliging. Indeed, it is a good omen when the top heavyweights will fight anybody who wants to fight them, even each other. European champion Joe Joyce is a good backup opponent name as well.
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