Shelly Finkel is not giving up on hope of Tyson Fury vs Deontay Wilder 3 happening – saying he is “going to go for everything” in a bid to resurrect the fight.
Fury destroyed ‘The Bronze Bomber’ in seven one-sided rounds of their Las Vegas rematch last February. That after the pair had fought to a controversial draw in Los Angeles in December 2018.
They had been slated to meet again in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic led to the bout being delayed. And when a December 19 Vegas date bit the dust, Fury announced that he was “moving on”.
Wilder (42-1-1) responded with a furious outburst, alleging among other things that Fury’s gloves had been tampered with ahead of the rematch. Allegations which have not been proved and Fury strenuously denies.
Team Fury say their contractual obligation to fight Wilder had already elapsed when Fury said he was moving on, and Wilder’s camp began a mediation process in a bid to find a resolution.
Fury though – livid at Wilder’s allegations – now says he will never fight Wilder again, leaving Finkel to look to his next move.
Finkel will go for everything
“We’re going to go for everything we can,” Wilder’s co-manager told Sports Illustrated.
“I’m a realist with what I am up against. We have an agreement. Even if we didn’t have an agreement, we gave Fury two shots.
“He has made more money than he has ever seen. Deontay was very kind to him while he was going through his mental problems. Forget everything else, morally he should give him his shot.”
Fury eyeing Joshua clash
Finkel also knows that Fury is deep in negotiations for a massive unification fight with fellow Briton Anthony Joshua. The pair have in place a financial structure for a two-fight deal. The first fight is expected to take place in late May or early June.
The upshot of all this is that Wilder could be out in the world heavyweight title wilderness for some time, and according to SI, he could instead return to the ring against former world champion Charles Martin.
Finkel reasoned: “If we can’t get the Fury fight, Deontay needs to be active. If it’s the worst case scenario, we are going to be prepared to get him back in the ring.”
