The pandemic has put a halt to many events in the boxing world and one such event is the Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder trilogy fight.
The duo had earlier met in February for the second time when Fury defeated Wilder in the seventh round, winning the WBC Heavyweight belt as well as the Ring Magazine title.
Ordinarily, things would have been proceeded from there, as Fury was billed to face Anthony Joshua after the fight for a unification bout, till Wilder used a clause in the fight contract that allowed him to call for a rematch within 30 days. Going by the clause, Fury would have to face Wilder before facing anyone else. But that was months ago.
The fight was scheduled to take place during the summer, although plans were yet to be finalized. The pandemic led to the fight being postponed to the end of the year. The major issue now is getting a venue for the fight.
The US would have been the best option but that cannot happen now as the US is the most affected country, having recorded over 400,000 cases and over 100,000 deaths. It is very clear that even by the end of the year, the country would not be ready to host such an event.
Organisers are now exploring more likely options and Australia is the latest country where the fight could hold and the Bankwest Stadium in Sydney is being considered.
Organiser Bob Arum recently revealed this in an interview with Sky Sports. He said, “Our friends in Australia are talking about doing this fight, probably in Sydney. That’s a possibility.” By friends, Bob is referring to the Australian promoter, Dean Lonergan.
Lonergan, who was very instrumental in bringing Manny Pacquiao to Brisbane, Australia back in 2017, has said the plan to bring Fury and Wilder to Australia is his.
He also spoke on the proposed date, saying, “We are flexible around the timing, but if we did it at 1.30 pm on Boxing Day, it would be beamed back into the States on Christmas night.”
Written by: Leon Osamor