Arbitrator sets rematch deadline for Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder rematch and it’s not good

ESPN’s Mark Kriegel reports that an arbitrator has ruled that heavyweights Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury have to fight by Sept. 15. 

On May 16, WBC heavyweight Tyson Fury announced that an August  14 unification bout with Anthony Joshua was on and a done deal. One day later, that news is in doubt.

ESPN’s Mark Kriegel tweeted out the news that an arbitrator handling the rematch dispute between Fury and former foe Deontay Wilder ruled that the two must face each other in a trilogy bout by Sept. 15.

Fury and Wilder fought to a draw in 2018. Wilder floored Fury in rounds 9 and 12, but Fury’s boxing made up for the lost points.

The 2020 rematch was incredibly one-sided. Fury schooled Wilder and knocked him down twice before Wilder’s corner threw in the towel in round 7, giving Fury the TKO victory.

An arbitrator’s ruling in favor of Deontay Wilder may torpedo an undisputed heavyweight matchup between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua

They were contractually obligated to have a trilogy bout but the pandemic complicated things. Fury’s promoter in the U.S., Bob Arum, later stated in December that the trilogy was off because Wilder’s team didn’t reach an agreement by a contracted deadline.

Wilder’s team went through the court system to contest Arum and Fury’s attempt to bypass the trilogy, and it looks like the arbitrator assigned to the dispute ruled in Wilder’s favor.

There’s no way of telling how this will play out or the impact it could have on the long-discussed full unification contest between Fury and Joshua. This certainly throws a wrench in things for Fury and Joshua. It’s unclear what Fury’s legal options are. This puts one of the most lucrative possible heavyweight title fights in jeopardy.