TYSON FURY vs Deontay Wilder will be postponed until the autumn.
The two were due to meet for a third time on July 24 in Las Vegas. But the high profile heavyweight clash has been forced off that date after Tyson Fury and members of his team contracted Covid-19.
“Fury-Wilder III has been postponed until the fall after several members of Fury’s camp, including Tyson, tested positive for Covid-19,” Top Rank, who promote the event, said in a statement.
Big fights have been in short supply this year, Teofimo Lopez for instance recently also contracted Covid that forced him out of his lightweight bout with George Kambosos. Fury-Wilder should have been the fight that reignited the heavyweight division. Now the wait is back on, with a new date for the conclusion to their trilogy potentially in October, according to reports.
The sport’s other leading heavyweight Anthony Joshua also is yet to confirm his next contest, though that is likely to be against Oleksandr Usyk in late September.
Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn, never slow to spot an opportunity, has suggested Dillian Whyte could step in to fight Wilder as a short notice replacement for Fury. “Spoke to Dillian Whyte – he is due to fight at the end of August but ready to jump in July 24 vs Wilder,” Hearn said.
But most likely the upper echelons of the heavyweight division will remain dormant until the autumn.