Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder trilogy postponed

The Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder trilogy has been pushed back until the fall of 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The pandemic hasn’t just affected MMA, the world of boxing has taken a big hit too. Amid fears of contagion in large crowds, almost all major sporting events have been postponed or cancelled. As a result, the boxing titans won’t be able to fight until October — at the very earliest.

The heavyweights have fought twice before. Their first showdown in 2018 resulted in a thrilling draw. In their rematch, Fury outboxed the American knockout artist and sealed a TKO victory. After the loss, Wilder immediately announced his plans to exercise his contract rematch clause and determine the better fighter, once and for all.

The fight was originally targeted for July 18 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, but Top Rank chairman Bob Arum said the fight has been rearranged.

“Clearly not,” he said to ESPN in response to the fight happening in July (via New York Times). “We don’t even know if the MGM will even be open by then. You could not guarantee the fighters that the event would take place on that date. We couldn’t convince them or ourselves.”

“Where were they going to train for it? It just made no sense. You just have to take a step back. How are you going to sell tickets? It’s absolutely ridiculous to say the fight is on when the Brits can’t even get there.

“So everybody has to take a step back. Boxing is not isolated. It’s part of what’s happening in the world,” Arum said. “So possibly the fight will be in early October.”

There is also the possibility that the Gypsy King will fight fellow British heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua. The Brit vs. Brit showdown would be a blockbuster bout. However, the likelihood of the fight will depend on the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the outcome of the trilogy bout.

Do you think we’ll see Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder fight again this year?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 3/25/2020.