A big heavyweight clash is now confirmed for the beginning of December.
On the eve of Anthony Joshua vs. Alexander Povetkin, perhaps deliberately so, it was made official that WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder (40-0, 39 KOs) and Tyson Fury (27-0, 19 KOs) will fight on December 1st.
Both Wilder and Fury separately confirmed that they signed their fight contracts — evidently their “official” announcement in mid-August wasn’t that official — and all that’s left to determine is the venue. It’s been narrowed down to Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, or Staples Center in Los Angeles. I suppose highest bidder is going to win in this situation, but Vegas just about always gets the big US-based boxing events.
Promoter Frank Warren confirmed that a “world tour” type series of press conferences is in the works. The pressers would be set for London, New York, and Los Angeles, although dates for those have not yet been confirmed. For all of the complaints about Fury’s entertainment value in the ring, he does know how to sell a fight, so he and Wilder should at least produce an interesting show in the build-up to this clash.
Wilder is coming off a thrilling come-from-behind KO win vs. Luis Ortiz, in what stands to date as the most-watched boxing match on either Showtime or HBO in 2018. Deontay had hoped to secure a fight with Anthony Joshua, but talks broke down and are shelved until 2019. “The Bronze Bomber” is known for being ridiculously heavy-handed, albeit not the most technical. If he hits you cleanly, you’re probably going down, and he has knocked out every opponent he’s ever fought. Now in lieu of a Joshua fight, Wilder is destined to still get the biggest payday of his career.
Fury is still the lineal champion, and this is a huge opportunity for the 30-year-old to re-establish himself as one of the world’s best heavyweights. After losing his titles due to failed drug tests — both for PEDs and cocaine — and ballooning up to 350+ lbs, Fury was absent from the ring for well over two years as he battled his personal demons. He returned to action in 2018, defeating Sefer Seferi in a tune-up fight, and looking in better physical shape in August against Francesco Pianeta. Fury is best known for ending the longstanding reign of Wladimir Klitschko, admittedly in a wretched affair. Still, he’s a tricky opponent who relies far more on technical boxing than power, so we’ll see if he can disarm the powerful Wilder, or if he’ll become the latest recipient of a Wilder KO.
More details on Wilder vs. Fury will be announced in the coming weeks. It’ll be the first time Wilder has headlined a pay-per-view event, and it’s Showtime’s first PPV of the entire year.