The biggest boxing event of the summer has officially been postponed. Tyson Fury, who was slated to fight Deontay Wilder to wrap up their trilogy on July 24th, was forced to pull out after testing positive for COVID-19.
The bout will now be rescheduled for later this year, with some speculating that an early October date could be in the works at T-Mobile arena in Las Vegas. Rumours that the fight could be in jeopardy initially began when several members of Fury’s training camp began testing positive in the last few weeks.
Following their second match which Fury won via 7th round stoppage, many believed that the “Gypsy King” had turned the page on the Wilder chapter of his career. Infact, talks with Anthony Joshua’s camp to crown an undisputed heavyweight champion had entered into the final stages of negotiations before an arbitrator ruled that Fury owed Wilder a third fight.
For now however, it appears as though boxing fans will have to wait until at least 2022 before any further talks of a Fury vs. Joshua fight can resume. It’s important to note however, that much of the allure surrounding a Fury vs. Joshua bout was to finally unify the world heavyweight title. Something the sport hasn’t seen since Lennox Lewis in the early 2000’s. It remains to be seen however, what the future holds should Deontay Wilder win the 3rd entry in his trilogy vs. Fury.
If the fight is indeed postponed until the fall, it sets up a torrid few weeks for boxing fans who may find themselves in the midst of a Pacquiao vs. Errol Spence Jr, Canelo Alvarez, Fury vs. Wilder stretch from late August through early October.