Fighting talk: Wilder vs Fury 2 'could be agreed within 48 hours' as purse bid deadline looms
The hotly-anticipated WBC heavyweight title rematch between Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury could be made official by the middle of the week, with the deadline for purse bids set for Wednesday, February 13.
Wilder and Fury went the distance in a dramatic title fight at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on December 1 last year, with Fury outboxing the reigning WBC champion for long periods of the contest before Wilder twice dropped the Mancunian in the closing rounds to earn a controversial split draw.
Also on rt.com Déjà Vu: The potential fight rematches we'd like to see in 2019Wilder was left feeling as if he had won after coming close to knocking out Fury in the final round, while Fury was adamant that he had outboxed Wilder through more than enough rounds to still be ahead on the cards, despite the two 10-8 rounds in his opponent's favor.
Calls for a rematch were immediate and unanimously agreed by the two fighters in the ring after the contest. But the two camps have yet to come to terms on a concrete deal.
The WBC set a deadline of February 6 for the two teams to thrash out an agreement, but after a request from both teams, the sanctioning body agreed to an extension, with the deadline now set for February 13.
The matchup looks set to return to the United States, with New York thought to be the favored host city for the rematch.
Also on rt.com Tyson Fury & Deontay Wilder to renew hostilities in New York City rematch – reportMeanwhile, the third major player at the top of the heavyweight boxing tree, multiple world champion Anthony Joshua, will face Jarrell Miller on June 1 at Madison Square Garden.
Fellow British heavyweight contender Dillian Whyte had been strongly linked with a bout against Joshua in London, but after the champion's camp signed to fight Miller instead, the Brit slammed the matchup, accusing promoter Eddie Hearn of using him as leverage to secure the Miller fight at a low price.
"They were just using me as a negotiating tool for Miller to keep Miller’s price down," he told UK radio station TalkSport.
"Joshua’s signed to [US streaming platform] DAZN so Eddie needs to deliver.
"Miller’s the perfect fight, he’s not dangerous, he’s undefeated, he talks a lot, so he’s the perfect fight."
