It’s a heavyweight rivalry for a new generation.
Not only has the fistic series between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder meandered into boxing’s heady trilogy neighborhood, but the dramas and backstories surrounding it are worthy of a prime-time soap opera.
The two first met in December 2018, in Fury’s third fight since returning from a two-plus-year hiatus during which he ballooned past 300 pounds and battled both alcoholism and depression. He rose from two knockdowns to secure a draw in a match many thought he’d won on the scorecards, then fought twice more before beating Wilder into a seventh-round corner surrender in a rematch in February 2020.
Wilder split with longtime trainer Mark Breland after the loss, the first of his career, and set about on a tour of excuses. He blamed a heavy ring-walk outfit for sapping his legs, he also claimed referee Kenny Bayless was biased in his officiating, and he suggested Breland himself was a double agent secretly working for Team Fury as well.
The third fight was initially pushed aside in favor of a Fury duel with English rival Anthony Joshua, but Wilder earned a ruling from an arbitrator that mandated he get the third date before Fury and Joshua squared off.
The trilogy fight was set for June 24 but was postponed when Fury tested positive for COVID-19.
The fight will top a pay-per-view card from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas that’s set to begin on Saturday at 9 p.m. ET and will be distributed by both Fox Sports and ESPN+.
What: Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder 3
Where: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas
When: October 9
TV: ESPN+ PPV and Fox Sports PPV
What’s At Stake: The same blinged-out green belt that was up for grabs in 2018 and 2020 is on the line again for Fury and Wilder. The two fighters have combined to possess the WBC heavyweight title for each of the 2,453 days since Wilder snatched it from then-champ Bermane Stiverne a few minutes away at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
But more so than the jewelry, it’s about revenge for Wilder and legacy for Fury. The former was a 10-defense champion before Fury humbled him in their rematch, while the now-champ has a chance to establish himself as the division’s clear-cut top man in the aftermath of countryman Anthony Joshua’s loss.
