It’s official! Deontay Wilder will have a trilogy fight with Tyson Fury on July 18th back in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand.
Top Rank chairman Bob Arum, who is Fury’s co-promoter, told ESPN on Sunday.
“Now we will sit down and go through all the details for the fight,” Arum said.
Arum was willing to shift the third fight to the Fall if Wilder (42-1-1, 41 KOs) and Premier Boxing Champions wanted more time. However, on Sunday, Arum said the fight would be on July 18th.
He also confirmed that it would be a joint pay-per-view between ESPN, Top Rank’s broadcaster, and FOX, which is one of PBC’s broadcasters.
“We realized that date was the favorite of both ESPN and Fox because it comes at a dead time in sports, which is good for the fight,” Arum said. “It’s after the basketball playoffs, baseball is in the middle of the season and there’s no football. It’s the ideal time. The hotel, MGM Grand, also believes it to be an ideal time.”
Arum said that contractually the fight had to be in Las Vegas, New York or Los Angeles. However, Arum wasn’t surprised that Wilder exercised his option for a rematch.
“I figured he would do it because I have had enough experience with rematches to know that anything can happen and guys can change their strategy and want the opportunity to [avenge] the loss,” Arum said.
Wilder had 25 days from the end of the second fight to formally notify Top Rank of his decision. Now that Fury is the champion, the fight deal is a 60-40 split in Fury’s favor for the third fight.
The February 22nd fight was a 50-50 deal.