By: Hans Themistode
Tyson Fury had his list of fighters all lined up. Later on this year the current WBC and Ring magazine heavyweight belt holder would have his trilogy fight with former titlist Deontay Wilder, and should he win, would move on to a mega showdown with unified champion Anthony Joshua.
Yet, with Wilder’s team reportedly playing around with the date, Fury has decided to move on all together. Since Wilder’s mandated rematch clause expired, Fury is free to do whatever he wants.
At the moment, the British native is tired of coming halfway across the world in order to fight. So instead, he has chosen to have a homecoming bout in the United Kingdom on December 5th. His opponent hasn’t yet been finalized, but promoter Bob Arum is currently digging through a list of top contenders.
“Well it has to be a fighter rated in the top 15 of the WBC,” said Arum to Boxing Social. “We’ve examined the list and there are maybe five fighters that would be available and would make good fights. Hopefully this week we’ll be able to select a fighter from the available fighters.”
According to Boxing Social, although nothing is official as of yet, the list of names that Arum is currently sifting through includes Oscar Rivas, Agit Kabayel, Charles Martin, Michael Hunter and Efe Ajagba.
Whoever is chosen from that crop of heavyweights will be viewed as a prohibited underdog against Fury on December 5th. With so much on the line, most notably a mega showdown with fellow unified champion Anthony Joshua, Fury can’t afford to slip up now.
In terms of hammering out a deal between both sides, a few things have to take place beforehand.
For starters, as previously mentioned, Fury must get past his December 5th opponent. One week after he makes his title defense, Joshua, ironically enough, will defend his titles on December 12th. His opponent on the night will be former title challenger Kubrat Pulev who is currently riding an eight fight win streak.
Should an upset occur in either of their precursor contests, then their matchup will go by the wayside. However, both fighters are expected to walk through their respective opponents and meet sometime in the Spring of 2021.
Long negotiations and dragged out demands won’t be an issue between the sides. Arum believes the finish line is in sight. Both champions simply need to take care of business in the month of December.
“We’re all set with that. It’s a 50/50 deal, we’ll iron out details. Let the two guys have their fights in December. Tyson against whomever he fights on December 5th and Joshua against Pulev on December 12th. They both win and within three hours we can finalize any details that are outstanding. It’s not outstanding.”
