Tyson Fury's Next Fight Won't Be a Rematch With Deontay Wilder
The highly anticipated rematch between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder won't be the next bout on either fighter's agenda, the World Boxing Council announced on Tuesday.
"The [WBC] has received communications as our process and while Wilder confirmed its willingness to fight the rematch, Fury will take on another fight with expectations to do [a] rematch at a later date," the WBC tweeted on Tuesday.
Fury will face his next challenger in either May or June, and Wilder will likely fight next on May 18 against an opponent that has yet to be determined. The British boxer "hopes" to fight Wilder before the end of the year, according to ESPN.
Fury signed a co-promotional deal with Top Rank last week that will bring his fights to ESPN but could complicate his negotiations since he's already aligned with Showtime.
The WBC ordered a rematch between the two fighters after their controversial spilt draw in early December. Wilder, who retained his heavyweight champion title, knocked Fury down in the ninth and 12th rounds. Fury appeared to be down for good in the final round, only to stun everyone and get back up. The draw left fans outraged over the judges' scoring.
The beef between the two continued outside of the ring with Fury tagging Wilder in a recent tweet.
"I will fight anyone in boxing world, Don't use politics as an excuse not to challenge me the lineal heavyweight champ!"
Wilder responded on Tuesday to Fury's taunt.
"We knew you only said this [because] you knew you wasn't fighting me next," Wilder said. "You requested a warm-up fight first. I don't blame you. I probably would too if I saw my brains splashed all over the canvas."
