By: Hans Themistode
After sharing the ring with one another on two separate occasions, it seems as though that still wasn’t enough.
Former WBC Heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder and newly crowned champ Tyson Fury, still have a bit of unfinished business.
When the two Heavyweights met for the first time back on December 1st, 2018, at the Staples Center, in Los Angeles California, they gave the fans one of the most memorable contests in recent memory.
Many believed Fury had done more than enough the first time around to warrant a decision from the judges. Yet, two knockdowns from Wilder swayed the judges and much of the public perception into believing that the contest was a draw.
It wasn’t what Fury wanted to hear, but fine. If there was any bit of doubt in terms of who won the first contest, Fury made sure to make things crystal clear the second time around.
In front of 15,816 fans at the MGM Grand Arena, in Las Vegas, Nevada, Fury gave Wilder a one sided beating.
Throughout the entire 12 year career of Wilder, he had grown accustomed to having his opponents staring up at the ceiling lights wondering what happened and how did I end up down here?
On February 22nd, 2020, the roles were reversed. It was Fury who dropped Wilder twice during their contest before ultimately forcing Wilder’s corner to throw in the towel to save their fighter.
With their being zero doubt as to who the better fighter was, many speculated that the rivalry was officially over. Think again.
According to reports, Wilder has 30 days to decide whether or not he wants to pick up his option for an immediate rematch.
After one way traffic, no one would blame Wilder for taking his time to recover from his injuries before making a decision. Well, it’s been barely 24 hours and it seems as though Wilder and his team have already made up their minds.
“Shelly Finkel rang me the morning after the fight to tell me they would probably invoke the immediate rematch,’ said Fury’s co promoter Frank Warren. “So that’s where we’re at right now. I’m assuming that the trilogy fight is going ahead.”
With Wilder picking up the first loss of his career and losing the WBC title that he held onto for over five years, it doesn’t come as a complete surprise to see him opt for an immediate rematch. It also doesn’t hurt that both men reportedly earned more than $25 million for their efforts while also setting the Heavyweight gate record in Nevada.
The interest in a third contest could see them break even more records.
While it seems as though we are heading towards a third fight between them, Fury isn’t expecting it to happen so soon. With that being said, he’ll be ready for either Wilder or whomever else is standing across the ring from him next.
“Deontay will need some time to recover from this fight,” said Fury. “I’m sure sure he’ll take the rematch because he’s a dynamite puncher. Pretty sure we’ll do it again. Whoever’s next will get the same treatment.”