By: Hans Themistode
The third installment between Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury has officially been transformed into a night of heavyweight boxing.
With both Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) and Top Rank hosting the card, they have decided to put their talent in the ring against one another. According to their contractual agreement, both sides have the right to put one fight on the undercard as well as a joint bout. For Top Rank, they have decided to showcase the talent of rising heavyweight prospect Jared Anderson (9-0, 9 KOs). The undefeated Toledo, Ohio native will open the pay-per-view card against an opponent yet to be named.
Following that bout, heavyweight contenders Adam Kownacki (20-1, 15 KOs) and Robert Helenius (30-3, 19 KOs) will have their long-awaited rematch. In March of 2020, Kownacki walked into their showdown as the prohibited favorite. While he was dominating the action early on, Helenius floored his man in the fourth round before finishing him off. The loss for Kownacki represents the only blemish in his young career.
With Top Rank and PBC announcing bouts within their own stable, both sides have reached an agreement for the final undercard contest that will see both sides trek out an undefeated prospect.
Newly signed Top Rank prospect Efe Ajagba (15-0, 12 KOs), who once partnered with PBC, will take on fellow undefeated prospect, Frank Sanchez (18-0, 13 KOs). For Ajagba, he made his Top Rank debut in September of 2020, easily outpointing Jonathan Rice. He then followed that up with a knockout of the year candidate over Brian Howard in April of this year.
As for Sanchez, after working closely with Eddy Reynoso, trainer of pound for pound star Canelo Alvarez, the Cuban born native has continued to look more and more impressive. In early May of this year, Sanchez extended his knockout streak to three in a row with a sixth-round stoppage win over Nagy Aguilera.
The long list of heavyweight bouts on the night will come to an end with Fury and Wilder. After settling for a split decision draw in their first contest in December of 2018, Fury made a huge statement in dismantling Wilder via seventh-round stoppage in their 2020 rematch. The loss for the Alabama native ended his five year title reign.
The night of heavyweight boxing goes down on July 24th, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on pay-per-view.
