Frank Warren has confirmed that October is the likely landing spot for the rescheduled Tyson Fury vs Deontay Wilder 3 showdown in Las Vegas.
‘The Gypsy King’ (30-0-1) had been due to defend his WBC, lineal and Ring magazine heavyweight titles against ‘The Bronze Bomber’ (42-1-1) on July 24 at T-Mobile Arena. But just over two weeks out, Fury and members of his camp tested positive for COVID-19. Subsequently July 24 is off and a new date is needed.
Warren told BT Sport Boxing: “It’s looking some time in October, which is a great shame it’s been postponed, but it is what it is.
“Unfortunately they in the camp and himself tested positive for COVID, so there’s nothing we can do about it – it’s the times we live in. So the fight’s postponed, pushed back.”
Fury vs Wilder 3 timeline
The postponement is the latest delay to a fight which had first been expected to take place in the summer of 2020, following Fury’s easy rematch victory over Wilder. But efforts to get the bout on in a COVID world failed in 2020, and Fury then said he was “moving on”.
Wilder said not so fast though, and won an arbitration ruling to force the third fight just 24 hours after Fury himself had announced an August 14 date to meet Anthony Joshua instead.
Warren spoke about the frustration for all parties, notably for Fury himself. The WBC champion – like Wilder – has been out of the ring since that February 2020 rematch.
Long absence for Fury
“Very frustrating, really frustrating for Tyson. By the time he gets into the ring he’ll have been out for nearly 20 months – that’s a long long time.”
While Fury vs Wilder 3 is now expected some time in early October (Saturday 9 has been reported), Joshua will defend his IBF, WBA and WBO titles against Oleksandr Usyk in London on Saturday September 25. That bout appears likely to take place at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
