Deontay Wilder has officially exercised his right for an immediate third fight against Tyson Fury.
Last week we saw a remarkable feat achieved as Manchester-born boxer Tyson Fury won the WBC Heavyweight Championship by knocking out defending champion Deontay Wilder in their rematch in Las Vegas.
The fight was a rematch of their first encounter in December 2018 when the final result was a controversial draw where many thought Fury won. Fury was knocked down twice that night and remarkably got up after being knocked down in the 12th round.
Fury has had a long journey to this point after three years out of the ring after his famous win over Wladimir Klitschko in Germany. The Manchester-born fighter has opened up recently about his struggles with addiction and mental health problems following that bout and contemplated taking his own life.
Fury’s win means that all of the major heavyweight titles are held by British fighters as Anthony Joshua holds the IBF, IBO, WBA and WBO belts respectively.
This meant it was perfectly set up for the two fighters to have a unification fight for all of the belts on home soil presumably at Wembley Stadium.
However, Wilder has since activated his rematch clause meaning that both he and Fury will have a third fight. With Fury arguably winning both fights the spectator demand may not be there but if Wilder has the option to try and win his belt back he was always going to take it.
Top Rank chairman Bob Arum, Fury's promoter in the United States, has confirmed Wilder has exercised his option for a trilogy.
Arum confirmed plans for the third fight to take place at the MGM Grand, the same venue of their rematch, on July 18.
He told ESPN, "It's after the basketball play-offs, baseball is in the middle of the season and there's no [American] football.
"It's the ideal time. The hotel, MGM Grand, also believes it to be an ideal time."
Wilder addressed his fans on social media recently as he published a video message.
The American fighter said:
‘Your king is here. And we ain’t going nowhere, for the war has just begun.
‘I will rise again. I am strong. I am a king, you can’t take my pride.
‘I am a warrior. I am a king that will never give up. I’m a king that will fight to the death.
‘And if anyone doesn’t understand that, don’t understand what it is to go to war, don’t understand what it is to fight, we will rise again. We will regain the title.”
He went on to say more and you can watch the full video here.
— Deontay Wilder (@BronzeBomber) February 29, 2020
Anthony Joshua is due to announce his next fight which is believed to be a bout with Bulgarian fighter Kubrat Pulev at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday 20 June. It will be Joshua's first fight in the UK since beating Alexander Povetkin at Wembley in September 2018.
Who will win the trilogy fight and who do you think wins between Fury and Joshua should it happen?
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