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So, the Tyson Fury vs Deontay Wilder trilogy fight is… off?
On? Does anyone actually know?
According to a report from MailOnline, Wilder’s contractual
obligation to a third fight with Fury – who stopped him in their rematch
earlier this year – is just a few weeks away from expiring.
The report also states that, after suffering a bicep injury
that required surgery, Wilder will not be ready in time to finalise this
trilogy, citing “sources on both sides of the Atlantic” confirming that part
three is off.
With this conclusion, the article celebrates the fact there
are now no clear obstacles in the way of a Fury-Anthony Joshua megafight,
provided they both win in their respective bouts later this year.
Hold those celebrations – Wilder’s co-manager, Shelly
Finkel, told World Boxing News that these reports of Wilder’s rematch clause
soon expiring are simply not true.
“Deontay Wilder is fighting Tyson Fury in December. We are
working on the fight. We will update soon,” he said.
Now, there were no other details given in the report, though
Finkel had previously noted that Wilder – who has remained uncharacteristically
quiet in recent months – will soon break his silence about what is going on.
Wilder has previously claimed/confirmed that he did suffer a
nasty bicep injury, so we know that at least is true. The rest is anyone’s
guess at this stage.
If Fury and Wilder are indeed going to meet in December,
neither man has very long to prepare. That’s an eight-week training camp at
best. If Wilder is still recovering from an injury – or only very recently
fully recovered from one – how can he possibly get prepared for a fight he will
be a hefty underdog in?
It also leaves little time for the promotion of what will
surely be a pay-per-view event in the UK and the US. The end of the year looks
set to be crammed with PPV shows and big cards – in both boxing and the UFC –
and Fury and Wilder won’t come cheap. One would think the promoters and
broadcasters involved would want a much longer lead time for Fury-Wilder III.
After Bob Arum went off the handle about the fact no major
UK broadcaster picked up his Vasyl Lomachenko-Teofimo Lopez fight, it’s since
been confirmed that it will air on Fite TV on PPV on these shores. That’s the
same channel that picked up the Charlo doubleheader a few weeks back, and based
off of that broadcast, they have a decent setup.
It’s by no means ideal that UK fans will have to pay extra
for this fight, despite it being an excellent one, especially as it’s on ESPN
in the States, but at least there’s an option to watch it.
BT Sport and Queensbury Promotions officially announced the
Daniel Dubois-Joe Joyce clash for November 28 – and it will not be on PPV. It’s
a sign of the times that I instantly assumed this would be a PPV show, and I
was genuinely surprised when it was revealed it would air on BT Sport 1
instead.
Now, broadcasters shouldn’t be praised for making decisions
they should normally be making anyway, but with the state of the industry and
the deluge of PPV shows thrown at fans, it is worth appreciating this move.
Neither Dubois nor Joyce are household names worthy of topping a PPV yet, but
the same argument could also be made for Oleksandr Usyk and Dereck Chisora who,
although undoubtedly more famous, are fighting in a PPV main event on Sky
Sports later this month.
We’re now one step closer to seeing an undisputed super-lightweight champion as Jack Catterall – the WBO’s mandatory challenger – has agreed to step aside to allow champions Josh Taylor and Jose Ramirez to fight each other under the agreement that he’ll get the winner.
It’s a sensible move for all involved and will hopefully
provide us with a standout fight to kick off 2021. It’ll also give the 140lb
division yet another undisputed king after Terence Crawford achieved the same
feat a few years ago.
It also looks like we’ll be getting a rematch between Roman
Gonzalez and Juan Francisco Estrada next year after the Nicaraguan confirmed to
ESPN Deportes that the fight is “80-90 per cent done.”
They’ve both got to get through their respective fights
later this year, but should they both win it seems they’re all set to square
off once again. It’s an excellent fight; a treat for boxing hipsters.
The WBC announced that they are postponing the purse bids
for Canelo Alvarez vs Avni Yildirim. In other news, I’ve postponed my decision
to shut my private parts in a fridge door.
Podcasts
Callum Johnson – the same Callum Johnson who happily walked
into a ring with wrecking-ball Artur Beterbiev – was recently accused by Johnny
Nelson of avoiding a fight with domestic rival Joshua Buatsi, and was given his
right to reply on Sky’s Toe2Toe podcast.
“I’ve heard some crazy things said on TV in my time,
but that’s up there with the craziest I’ve ever heard in my life,” he said.
“I don’t know if he’s being paid to say stupid things like
that or what?”
Well, yes, Nelson is paid for his punditry on Sky Sports and
while clearly not stupid, I do empathise with Johnson’s incredulity here. Buatsi
is no doubt a fierce talent, but Johnson has shared the ring with more
accomplished fighters and it seems bizarre to claim he would shy away from
fighting his fellow Brit.
Still, fair play to Johnson for speaking his mind and to Sky
for allowing direct criticism of one of their pundits for comments he made on
one of their broadcasts.