The fight was originally set for July 24th.
There’s a new date but the venue is the same for the heavyweight trilogy between WBC champion Tyson Fury (30-0-1, 21 KOs) and Deontay Wilder (42-1-1, 41 KOs).
It was announced on Thursday that Fury vs. Wilder 3, originally scheduled for July 24th, has been moved to October 9th but still still take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Purchased tickets for July will be honored for the new date.
“I wanted nothing more than to smash the ‘Big Dosser’ on July 24, but I guess the beating will have to wait,” Fury said in the press release. “Make no mistake, I will be back and better than ever. We will fight Oct. 9, and I will knock him spark out!”
“This is what we went to arbitration for,” said Shelly Finkel, Wilder’s manager. “He just wanted what was owed to him. He remains ready to reclaim his world title on Oct. 9.’’
Fury was among several members within his own camp to test positive for COVID-19, forcing the event’s postponement. He reportedly was only partially vaccinated against the virus but after experiencing mild symptoms he has since tested negative as of Tuesday.
The score in this rivalry is 1-0-1 in Fury’s favor. He was dropped twice in the first fight (including a stunning recovery in the 12 round) and while some believe he should’ve gotten the decision anyway, the judges scored it a draw. In the rematch last year he dominated Wilder, knocked him down twice and the fight was stopped in the 7th round to hand the heavy-handed Wilder his first ever defeat.
ESPN’s Mike Coppinger reported that the all-heavyweight undercard of Robert Helenius vs. Adam Kownacki 2, Efe Ajagba vs. Frank Sanchez, and Jared Anderson vs. Vladimir Tereshkin will remain intact.
As was the case for their second fight, FOX Sports and ESPN+ will both have the trilogy available on pay-per-view in a joint production.