Bob Arum says Tyson Fury vs Deontay Wilder 3 could still land in the United States later this year, with multiple venues in the running to host a December showdown for the WBC world heavyweight title.
Top Rank supremo Arum, who promotes Fury along with Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions, has consistently said the fight could not take place behind closed doors due to the economic impact of having no live gate (Fury vs Wilder 2 produced a record live gate for a heavyweight bout of almost $17million in February).
And with the United States badly affected by COVID-19, many wondered whether crowds would be allowed back into areas there in time to host Fury vs Wilder 3 this year.
Arum though appeared more upbeat about that this week, as he told The Telegraph: “We’re working with venues in Nevada and in Texas to do that Fury vs Wilder some time in December. America I would never rule out as the venue because the gates are huge and the pay-per-views are huge.”
Arum also told The Athletic that Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas – the shiny new home of the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders – is one of the venues under consideration.
Other venues are still on the table though, with Macau and even Australia over Christmas mentioned in the past as possible landing spots.
“But it doesn’t necessarily have to be in America. It doesn’t necessarily have to be in the UK or Europe or the Middle East. Everything is subject to working out,” Arum explained.
The first fight between Fury (30-0-1) and Wilder (42-1-1) – a controversial draw back in December 2018 – took place at Staples Center in Los Angeles. That February rematch filled out the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas in February.
Fury knows that a second victory over ‘The Bronze Bomber’ would move him considerably closer to that dream of an all-British unification showdown with IBF, WBA and WBO king Anthony Joshua. They have ‘agreed in principle’ the financial structure of a two-fight deal, with a 50-50 split for the first bout followed by a 60-40 share to the winner in the rematch.
