Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder III - October 9, 2021

[Ruthless-RKO]

Steward Hits The UK, Start Preparing Fury For Wilder Rematch

According to The Sun, veteran trainer SugarHill Steward has arrived in the UK to start training WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.

This is the first time the two are training together since the coronavirus pandemic erupted in March.

Fury is getting ready for a trilogy fight with Deontay Wilder, which is targeted to take place on the tentative date of December 19th in Las Vegas.

Fury and Wilder collided in a rematch back in February at Las Vegas' MGM Grand.

After fighting to a controversial twelve round split draw in December of 2018, Fury captured the WBC title when he dropped Wilder twice and eventually stopped in the seventh round of their second bout.

Wilder had an immediate rematch clause, which he exercised in the aftermath.

SugarHill, the nephew of Hall of Fame trainer Emmanuel Steward, replaced Fury's trainer Ben Davison just two months before the rematch with Wilder was scheduled to take place.

Davison had prepared Fury for the first five fights of his comeback, which began to take shape in late 2017. His departure was shocking to observers, but the pairing with Steward has worked out so far.

Fury has been staying in shape, doing workouts and exercises at home with wife Paris, and more recently he's been training with younger brother Tommy Fury.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Fury's Promoter on Status of Wilder Trilogy, Eyes Joshua Fight For 2021

Top Rank President Todd DuBoef, co-promoter for WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, says a full division unification is certainly still in play for 2021 with IBF, IBO, WBA, WBO champion Anthony Joshua.

The two boxers have already agreed on the financial terms, but have upcoming assignments to overcome before the year is over.

Fury will first have to overcome a trilogy fight with Deontay Wilder, which is targeted for December 19th in Las Vegas.

And Joshua has to make a mandatory defense against Kubrat Pulev, with a working date of December 12, likely in the UK.

"There is a gravitation to bring the titles together, and that would be Joshua and Fury. Obviously we would have loved to do that before the end of this year, but for the pandemic. I don't think anybody is wavering from that objective," DuBoef told Sky Sports.

"Both guys have great personalities, they can fight, and it is overdue. Let's get it done. It would be the biggest fight in the history of the UK, for sure. In order to be a really big fight you have to have a large gate; for example Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao did $70 million at the gate. I don't know what the world will look like in spring 2021. What will the economics look like? We need to see how things change. But it's as big a fight as anything I've seen in the sport."

At the moment, Fury's team is doing their best to nail down the Wilder trilogy for the target date in December.

Fury has been out of the ring since February, when he stopped Wilder in seven rounds to capture the WBC world title. Wilder then exercised an immediate rematch clause.

"We're looking at December 19, obviously Vegas is one of the places which is a high priority to do it in," DuBoef said. "That's where we are. We have been flexible and fluid in the entertainment and sports business. It is important to be patient, play it out, make sure it happens at the right time. That looks like a nice date in December to target it. It is a fair date to earmark, to give us time to put everything together. Everybody has been frustrated, not just Fury, Wilder, Joshua or Pulev. All the athletes have.

"We're all trying to work with what our jurisdiction is, work with what our restrictions are, to get the guys back in the ring as quickly as possible. I speak to PBC [who advise Wilder] - we are all looking at that date. Nobody wants a false start. Deontay and Tyson have such big personalities - get them riled up and you can't stop the train rolling. Fury has blossomed into a wonderful heavyweight but Wilder has dynamite in both hands. You can never blink or take him lightly because, in one second, it can be over."

[Ruthless-RKO]

Deontay Wilder in "Amazing Physical Shape" For Fury Trilogy

Former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder is already in "amazing physical shape" - according to the once-beaten boxer's protege, Raphael Akpejiori. (photo by Ryan Hafey)

Akpejiori (7-0, 7 KOs), an unbeaten heavyweight puncher from Nigeria, has been receiving guidance from Wilder.

Wilder has apparently intensified his training in Miami, going through conditioning sessions with the same coach who works with Akpejiori.

Very little has been heard from Wilder in the last eight months.

He suffered his first career defeat back in February, when Tyson Fury stopped him in the seventh round of their rematch to capture the WBC title.

Wilder would then exercise an immediate rematch clause, to force the trilogy encounter.

The third fight is scheduled to take place on the tentative date of December 19.

In the aftermath of the February bout, Wilder underwent surgery for a bicep injury.

Unbeaten contender Junior Fa, who helped prepare Wilder for that rematch, recently revealed that the bicep injury was suffered at the tail-end of the training camp.

Akpejiori expects a different Wilder in the third fight.

"Based on what I know, the only person that can beat Deontay right now, is Deontay," Akpejiori told Sky Sports.

"He will beat Fury if he sticks to the game plan from his coaching staff, and I know that he has all the physical tools. Right now he is in amazing physical shape, that I can tell you for sure. You will see a completely different Deontay, mentally and physically in the ring, when that bell rings again for that third fight. That I can tell you.

"You're going to have to wait for Deontay to break it down and address those rumors [regarding his injury and fitness]. Listen, I can tell you from my conversations with Deontay that he was ready to fight Tyson Fury in July. The only reason why he didn't fight Tyson Fury in July, was because the fight was moved due to the coronavirus pandemic and the lockdown that came after that. He does the same workouts that we've been doing. I don't know how somebody can be injured and do all that. It's really hard stuff, I can tell you that for sure.

"But concerning fighting Tyson Fury, he's extremely confident. He's very excited about that third fight. I can tell you for sure that he's very hungry, and he's trying to get back into the ring as soon as possible. He's in great spirits, excited to get back to fight Tyson Fury."

[Ruthless-RKO]

[snake33]

Wilder says he's had seven surgeries on his right arm and hand. He hurts it almost every fight now.
Can he still throw a right hand with impunity ? He claims he couldn't the last fight with Fury. He said
he couldn't extend the right arm.
Is this a pre-excuse or is he through and going for one more payday ?

[margaret thatcher]

People were saying his elbow or something was f@cked up for the first fight too and he couldnt throw a proper straight right either....it's like every f@cking fight he's got some sort of elbow/hand/shoulder/arm injury now, it's just Wilder being Wilder and you have to assume either that something will be f@cked up or that him/his fans will make the excuse anyway

[Thomastearns]

The recommended strategy against someone like Wilder is to get in close and deny them the chance to get maximum leverage.

It's a brave strategy that carries risk but it worked famously in Leonard v Hearns 1 and also in Hagler v Hearns.

Rather shockingly it also worked in Fury v Wilder 2, and I suspect Fury will try to do the same again. So just what is the new game plan of the Wilder camp?

Perhaps just for once Deontay is intending to try to box a little? Use his feet to go backwards (as well as forwards) to keep the big fish Fury at the perfect biting distance.

He needs to as Fury is unlikely to remain in the optimum striking zone for more than a split second. Fury is also likely to be super confident this time.

Wilder's best chance is to catch Fury as he's coming forwards, a rare thing in itself, but the result would be spectacular.

As for injuries, it's to his advantage he's had a long time to heal his physical and mental wounds. Wilder seems to rely heavily on building psychological confidence, and so does Fury, but you can't do it all in your head Deontay, you still need to box.

I would seriously consider employing some very quick and elusive sparring partners in the build up if I was Wilder. Especially considering just how little he's managed to land in their previous 2 bouts.

Fury is a bum, and he needs taking out, but he's the most elusive and tricky bum he's liable to face. He also happens to have plenty of confidence and a very good chin.

It's easy to forget but this is boxing, and the better boxer tends to win.

But not always.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Arum: Fury-Wilder III No Longer Scheduled For 12/19; Could Occur Earlier

The date for the third Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder fight has changed yet again.

Promoter Bob Arum informed ESPN.com on Wednesday that Fury-Wilder III no longer is scheduled to take place December 19. The site for their third WBC heavyweight title fight still will be Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, the new home of the NFL’s Raiders, according to Arum.

The date for Fury-Wilder III has changed for the third time largely due to the loaded college football schedule the night of December 19. Numerous conference championship games will be played December 19, later than usual because FBS programs’ schedules were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

ESPN and FOX, which will co-distribute Fury-Wilder III on pay-per-view, will air various college football championship games that day. Their executives advised Arum, whose company co-promotes Fury, and Al Haymon, who represents Wilder, to change the date of their third encounter in part because it’d have a better chance to attract more buys on another date.

Arum told ESPN.com it is possible Fury-Wilder III could take place earlier in December, not necessarily early in 2021.

“We’re moving off [December 19] because there’s five conference championship games that day and night, plus two NFL games,” Arum said. “So, we can’t go with the 19th. We’re looking at other dates right now because ESPN advised us, and FOX advised PBC [Haymon’s company]. … We’re looking at the schedule – PBC, FOX, ESPN and us – to pick a date.”

Fury, 32, and Wilder, 34, were tentatively scheduled to fight again July 20. The coronavirus crisis quickly shifted the date to October 3, which later was changed to December 19.

Their third fight never has been officially announced for any of those three dates.

England’s Fury (30-0-1, 21 KOs) stopped Alabama’s Wilder (42-1-1, 41 KOs) in the seventh round of their rematch February 22 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Wilder and Fury fought to a split draw in their first fight – a 12-rounder in December 2018 at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Arum added Wednesday that the site of Fury-Wilder III won’t change.

“It’s definitely Allegiant Stadium,” Arum said. “The Raiders are on board, the city is on board, the [Las Vegas] Convention [& Visitors] Authority is on board. Everybody is on board.”

[Enlightened-One]

Perhaps just for once Deontay is intending to try to box a little? Use his feet to go backwards (as well as forwards) to keep the big fish Fury at the perfect biting distance.

Fury out-boxed Wilder during the first fight and out-brawled him in the rematch.

Wilder only has a puncher's chance. That doesn't mean I think he cannot win this fight, because his right hand is extraordinary, but I really can't seem him out-boxing Tyson Fury, who's pugilistic skills are several light-years ahead of The Bronze Bomber's.

Fury is a bum, and he needs taking out...

Are you saying you don't like Fury or are you accusing 'The Gypsy King' of being a Joe Luis style 'bum', where you reckon he's simply journeyman calibre?

[Ruthless-RKO]

Tyson Fury Vows To Fight in 2020 - Against Wilder or Someone Else

“I'm very ready to fight right now but the problem is I keep hearing different stories. I'm supposed to be fighting against Deontay Wilder on December 19 in Las Vegas. Recently I read they're trying to move it forward a week or back a week but the one thing I want to announce to the world is I will be fighting in December," Fury told Talk Sport.

“Whether it is Deontay Wilder in Las Vegas or Joe Bloggs in England. I want to fight. We are just waiting for the fight to be announced. If they put it back to next year, I want to fight now.

“I made it very, very clear that if we can't fight in American then I want to come back to England and have a homecoming. I'm about an hour from going AWOL. I need to know what is happening because the dates keep getting moved. Now they're saying December might not happen. BT Sport, if you're listening, get your hand in your pocket and get me back home. I'm on the verge of going AWOL again. I've been training twice a day since March.”

[Freakzilla]

If having a live gate is essential to this fight going ahead, surely they should explore the option of staging it in Australia that was mentioned previously (obviously not on Christmas day / boxing day that was mentioned before).
Assuming they could get dispensation to enter the country ($$ usually talks).

Major boxing and UFC events in Australia have regularly been staged on Sunday afternoon, Australian time, which is prime time Saturday night in America so there would be no effect on American PPV.

There were 15,000 in the stadium for Horn v Tszyu recently, and 20 - 30,000 will be in attendance for various AFL and NRL games over the coming weeks.
They could stage it at Suncorp stadium and get at least 30,000 socially distanced fans in there

[Ruthless-RKO]

Tyson Fury, who holds the WBC and LINEAL!!!!!! heavyweight titles, is still saying he will fight in December of this year, in the U.S. or U.K., with or without Deontay Wilder.

Whom could he face?

If, just for the sake of argument, Fury fights someone other than Wilder in December, here are the top WBC contenders:

1. Deontay Wilder, who obviously is not in this discussion

2. Oleksandr Usyk, who will fight Derek Chisora on Oct. 31 and is currently the WBO mandatory challenger

3. Luis Ortiz, who was supposed to fight Nov. 7, but we’ll see

4. Andy Ruiz Jr, who was supposed to fight Chris Arreola on Nov. 7 but now says he won’t be back until 2021

5. Dillian Whyte, who faces WBC interim champ Alexander Povetkin in a Nov. 21 rematch

6. Joseph Parker, who has been trying (maybe) to make a fight in New Zealand with Junior Fa, to no avail

7. Daniel Dubois, whom allegedly has set to fight Joe Joyce sometime when he can get a live gate

8. Oscar Rivas, who seems to be free!

9. Filip Hrgovic, a top prospect who probably isn’t ready to go after Fury

10. Michael Hunter, who is a free agent at last report and has some notable trash talk history with Fury

[Ruthless-RKO]

[Ruthless-RKO]

Sounds to me that Wilder doesn't want a trilogy..

It seems to me that his team want the fight more than he does..

[Enlightened-One]

Bob Arum has just informed iFL TV of the five-man short-list of fighters that could potentially be facing Tyson Fury in London during December.

Agit Kabayel, Michael Hunter and Efe Ajagba are the front-runners, with there being an outside possibility of Oscar Rivas or Charles Martin being considered.

I’d like to see Efe Ajagba face Tyson Fury next, not because I think he’s the best of the bunch of names being mentioned, but because I feel he’s undeserving of the hype and praise that has been prematurely bestowed upon him, despite his weak resume and recently poor form.

[gilgamesh]

Bob Arum has just informed iFL TV of the five-man short-list of fighters that could potentially be facing Tyson Fury in London during December.

Agit Kabayel, Michael Hunter and Efe Ajagba are the front-runners, with there being an outside possibility of Oscar Rivas or Charles Martin being considered.

I’d like to see Efe Ajagba face Tyson Fury next, not because I think he’s the best of the bunch of names being mentioned, but because I feel he’s undeserving of the hype and praise that has been prematurely bestowed upon him, despite his weak resume and recently poor form.

I'd be alright with most of those options. Any of the 4 other than Martin would be ok.

[Cyclops]

Bob Arum has just informed iFL TV of the five-man short-list of fighters that could potentially be facing Tyson Fury in London during December.

Agit Kabayel, Michael Hunter and Efe Ajagba are the front-runners, with there being an outside possibility of Oscar Rivas or Charles Martin being considered.

I’d like to see Efe Ajagba face Tyson Fury next, not because I think he’s the best of the bunch of names being mentioned, but because I feel he’s undeserving of the hype and praise that has been prematurely bestowed upon him, despite his weak resume and recently poor form.

I'd be alright with most of those options. Any of the 4 other than Martin would be ok.

Not really interested in Kabayel... Hunter, maybe... Efe Ajagba's the most interesting. Fury, in form, likes to take on unbeaten fighters and did a lot of it in the past. Ajagba would fit that bill. Considering the level Fury is at now, you'd think he'd want to take on one of the young lions, to keep him on his toes a little.

[gilgamesh]

Bob Arum has just informed iFL TV of the five-man short-list of fighters that could potentially be facing Tyson Fury in London during December.

Agit Kabayel, Michael Hunter and Efe Ajagba are the front-runners, with there being an outside possibility of Oscar Rivas or Charles Martin being considered.

I’d like to see Efe Ajagba face Tyson Fury next, not because I think he’s the best of the bunch of names being mentioned, but because I feel he’s undeserving of the hype and praise that has been prematurely bestowed upon him, despite his weak resume and recently poor form.

I'd be alright with most of those options. Any of the 4 other than Martin would be ok.

Not really interested in Kabayel... Hunter, maybe... Efe Ajagba's the most interesting. Fury, in form, likes to take on unbeaten fighters and did a lot of it in the past. Ajagba would fit that bill. Considering the level Fury is at now, you'd think he'd want to take on one of the young lions, to keep him on his toes a little.

I think Rivas or Hunter would probably provide him the best challenge. Ajagba is probably the most interesting opponent in terms of he's gotten the most hype of all those guys.

[candyslim]

Sounds to me that Wilder doesn't want a trilogy..

It seems to me that his team want the fight more than he does..

It wouldn't surprise me one bit if we never see Wilder fight again at least not against a live opponent.

It's such a shame because I love watching him fight and I could list a number of fighters I'd love to have seen him in the ring with, even now. Tyson Fury is not among them nor is anyone he has previously beaten.

[Enlightened-One]

I wonder why Deontay Wilder is choosing to maintain radio silence whilst all these dodgy shenanigans surrounding Tyson Fury are ongoing and taking over the media headlines?

[Ruthless-RKO]

Fury-Wilder 3 Won't Happen Until Next Year, Arum Suggests

The anticipation for the trilogy fight between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder would indeed have to take a backseat. After Fury's co-promoter allegedly said that it is now unlikely that the British will fight Wilder next, Top Rank CEO Bob Arum echoed that statement, claiming that they could not secure a calendar spot for the third fight this year.

Issues with the actual fight date remain to be the main reason the third fight had to be pushed back once again, Arum told ESPN.

It should be noted that about two weeks ago, the veteran boxing executive said that the event was moving off its Dec. 19 schedule at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas as it coincided with a handful of football games.

The event was then targeted to be staged earlier than Dec. 19, but Arum said certain conditions spoiled their plan.

"We couldn't get an appropriate date, until it was next year,” he said.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the landscape of boxing this year, forcing several fighting superstars to go on an extended hiatus. Fury and Wilder both have not fought since their rematch in February, and their third meeting was supposed to mark their comeback.

But after confirming that the trilogy won’t happen this year, Arum said Fury still wants to push through with a bout even if it’s not against the Bronze Bomber.

“Tyson said, 'No, I want to fight in December,' and so that's what we arranged in England," Arum said, before adding that Wilder’s contract clause for the trilogy has already expired.

Wilder’s camp, on the other hand, dismissed Arum’s claims.

"He's entitled to his opinion, he can think anything he wants.,” Wilder’s representative Shelly Finkel said.

Finkel insisted that Wilder is still looking forward to fighting Fury next. He said the American is keeping himself in tip-top shape as he aims to exact revenge after the Gypsy King handed him his first career loss in the rematch.

"Deontay and I would like to have the next fight, as planned, against Fury. We'll fight him any date, any place," Finkel said.

Fury, who holds the WBC Heavyweight belt, could fight as early as Dec. 5, the ESPN report added. Arum said several fighters under the Top Rank umbrella are being considered to challenge the British champ, including Agit Kabayel (WBC No. 15), Efe Ajagba (WBC No. 14) and Oscar Rivas (WBC No. 8).

[candyslim]

I wonder why Deontay Wilder is choosing to maintain radio silence whilst all these dodgy shenanigans surrounding Tyson Fury are ongoing and taking over the media headlines?

Frankly I think he's embarrassed. When Joshua lost to Ruiz i thought he looked tentative and anxious in the warm-up not all like the relaxed, confident and focused AJ we were used to. Many thought the same but when asked about it Joshua quoshed all such talk: "No injuries, no problems, no excuses, I was beaten fair and square by a very good fighter who was better than me on the night. I'll get him in the rematch" ... was the gist of AJ's response.

Wilder is a different animal altogether. He should have shutdown the excuse makers and conspiracy theorists from the get-go but he didn't. I think he rather enjoyed the attempted tarnishing of Fury's achievement and the flip-side of that coin that he was cheated out of his belt. As long as he stayed silent he could neither affirm nor deny the allegations - nothing to do with him.

Only he knows now if he starts giving interviews he is going to get put on the spot and he is going to have to either agree with 'glovegate' and look just as unhinged and desperate as the lunatic fringe of his fans, or he's going to have to distance himself from their allegations and make them look like an even bigger bunch of a-holes than they look already. They might turn on Deontay if he were to cut them loose like that after all this time.

Whatever he says he's going to be asked awkward questions about why he has left this hanging in the air for months when he could have shut it down at the outset, and spared Fury and the boxing community all this poisonous nonsense. Alternatively he could have got on board the crazybus thus making sure the allegations were properly investigated and shown to be a complete crock of shite - officially..

[Onetimeonly]

I wonder why Deontay Wilder is choosing to maintain radio silence whilst all these dodgy shenanigans surrounding Tyson Fury are ongoing and taking over the media headlines?

Frankly I think he's embarrassed. When Joshua lost to Ruiz i thought he looked tentative and anxious in the warm-up not all like the relaxed, confident and focused AJ we were used to. Many thought the same but when asked about it Joshua quoshed all such talk: "No injuries, no problems, no excuses, I was beaten fair and square by a very good fighter who was better than me on the night. I'll get him in the rematch" ... was the gist of AJ's response.

Wilder is a different animal altogether. He should have shutdown the excuse makers and conspiracy theorists from the get-go but he didn't. I think he rather enjoyed the attempted tarnishing of Fury's achievement and the flip-side of that coin that he was cheated out of his belt. As long as he stayed silent he could neither affirm nor deny the allegations - nothing to do with him.

Only he knows now if he starts giving interviews he is going to get put on the spot and he is going to have to either agree with 'glovegate' and look just as unhinged and desperate as the lunatic fringe of his fans, or he's going to have to distance himself from their allegations and make them look like an even bigger bunch of a-holes than they look already. They might turn on Deontay if he were to cut them loose like that after all this time.

Whatever he says he's going to be asked awkward questions about why he has left this hanging in the air for months when he could have shut it down at the outset, and spared Fury and the boxing community all this poisonous nonsense. Alternatively he could have got on board the crazybus thus making sure the allegations were properly investigated and shown to be a complete crock of shite - officially..

Rare fighters that don't make excuses, part of the mentality. Not to mention, as absurd as the armour excuse is, it pales in comparison to rigging drug tests to avoid being paid. Hopefully we end up with fury/aj, that rematch was emphatic.

[candyslim]

I've always said a fighter needs to believe there was a fixable reason for his defeat, not that he was simply beaten by the better man, or he's finished at championship level. That might be because he fukced up (Dillian Whyte) or because the opponent cheated or he was carrying an injury, anything.

I've no problem with that, not really. Deontay has backed himself into a corner with his silence though, he will have to say something as soon as he sticks his head above the trench, and the longer it goes the worse it gets.

My ideal scenario is that AJ fights Fury for the undisputed title early in 2021 and Wilder decides he is going to fight his way back by beating a top contender or two, to align himself for a crack at the four-belts. Maybe Haymon and Finkel see no point in keeping him wrapped in cotton wool now he is a depreciating financial asset. More likely though, he'll just gradually fade into an unannounced retirement, or even fight for the inaugural WBC Super-cruiserweight belt (Aaaaaggghh Say it aint so, Joe!)

[Ruthless-RKO]

Hearn: Fury-Wilder Legal Mess Will Not Resolve Itself Any Time Soon

"We try and avoid the mess, and keep discipline and focus on what we're doing, and the path for AJ has always been clear, with the ups and downs of the Ruiz fight, and getting that rematch over the line. But we know what we're doing. December 12, it was announced probably eight weeks before the fight, we're focused on the victory," Hearn told Sky Sports.

"That's their [Fury and Wilder's] business, it's a right mess either way, and it's not going to resolve itself any time soon. Hopefully we can just make sure that if Anthony Joshua can beat Kubrat Pulev on December 12, then the path is clear for AJ against Fury in 2021."

"If the legal action rumbles on, because ultimately after that fight with Pulev, we want to be in a position to say 'This is the fight for the undisputed'. Get the sanctioning in place and obviously you've got Usyk now standing in the wings, saying 'Once that Pulev fight is over, I want to be called as mandatory'. That's just going to be another issue that we're going to have to deal with. Hopefully, they can resolve whatever problem - who is right, who is wrong. That's the job of the arbitrators and the mediators, and good luck to them," Hearn said.