Tyson Fury, Seven Others in Camp Have COVID-19, Wilder Trilogy Bout Postponed
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
Las Vegas, NV (July 9th, 2021)– In yet another bizarre development in the roller coaster heavyweight division, the World Boxing Council World Heavyweight title trilogy bout between undefeated Tyson Fury and former world champion Deontay Wilder at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas has been postponed. Tyson Fury and seven members of his training camp entourage have tested positive for COVID-19 Novel Coronavirus in Las Vegas, Nevada. One of Fury’s sparring partners had COVID-19 and ultimately infected the entire team. Fury was not completely vaccinated. Deontay Wilder andhis entire team are fully vaccinated and remain healthy.
An early reply statement by promoter Top Rank stated “We continue to monitor the health status of Tyson Fury and his team, and the status of the event (scheduled for July 24, 2021 has not changed to date.” According to Deontay Wilder trainer Malik Scott as told to Ellie Seckbach, Scott dismissed suggestions Fury versus Wilder II will be postponed, “We are getting ready to go to work right now (resume our regular training date for the Fury bout), and everything (scheduled) remains the same. We are not going for no bananas in the tailpipe (any attempts to duck Wilder and get out of the anticipated rematch).” However, as news sources followed up on the infection story, the number of infections in the Tyson Fury camp were worse than originally believed, and medical treatment and quarantine for an extended period will be required, necessitating postponement of the scheduled July 24 world title bout.
A megabucks unification bout with Anthony Joshua versus the winner of Fury-Wilder III is now off the table. Joshua is scheduled to fight 18-0 former World Cruiserweight champion Oleksandr Usyk on September 25, 2021, with his International Boxing Federation, International Boxing Organization, World Boxing Association, and World Boxing Organisation World Heavyweight title belts at stake, at an undetermined location.
Fury, 30-0-1 with 21 knockouts, The Gypsy King”, Winslow, Cheshire, United Kingdom, and Wilder, 42-1-1 with 41 knockouts, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, had a mandatory rematch clause after the second fight with a 60/40 purse split, and an arbitrator’s court ruling validated the rematch clause when Fury was scheduled to fight Joshua. At T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao and Errol Spence Jr. are scheduled for a Pay-Per-View welterweight unification clash on August 21, 2021. Perhaps the Fury-Wilder trilogy bout could be rescheduled on that date if Fury recovers, perhaps not. Nobody knows what is going to happen at this point, in terms of how long it will take Fury and his team to recover.
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