A REMATCH BETWEEN Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder is likely to take place in March or April next year, according to the Gypsy King.
Fury and Wilder fought to a thrilling draw in Los Angeles in December, meaning the American held on to his WBC heavyweight title and both men remained undefeated.
The second bout was close to coming to fruition, but that is now not expected until 2020, with Fury set to face Tom Schwarz next month and WBC champion Wilder fresh off an impressive first-round knockout against Dominic Breazeale on Saturday.
“Deontay Wilder cannot run from Tyson Fury forever – the fight has to happen,” Fury said to ESPN, the broadcaster with whom he recently signed a deal.
“This rematch has got to happen, but it won’t be in May, June, July or August. This fight, I’m being told, is likely to happen in March or April next year.
“We were very close to a rematch. We had contracts, they had contracts, we were trying to agree terms.
“All of a sudden I had a massive deal from ESPN and they made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. That would’ve been in May I believe.
“Deontay Wilder apparently signed a three-fight deal [with Showtime] before I signed an ESPN deal.
“He signed a deal to fight Dominic Breazeale, Luis Ortiz and Adam Kownacki, so this was all done even before I put pen to paper.”
WBA, IBF and WBO champion Anthony Joshua is also pushing for a fight with Wilder after he has taken on Andy Ruiz at Madison Square Garden on 1 June, but Fury believes the Briton is likely to dodge a mega-fight.
Joshua, who has also never been beaten, is signed with DAZN, so all three of the world’s top heavyweights are with different broadcasters in the United States.
Fury said: “If the fighters are willing to fight then why should the networks get in the way?
“Fighters use that as an excuse, AKA Anthony Joshua, he uses that a lot as an excuse.
“But I believe if the fighters really want to fight each other they will, as I proved. I was on BT Sport and came over to the United States and boxed on Showtime.”
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Great article. I’m sure some of the unions will snap him up
The IRFU should be hiring him, we’re badly in need of a top level ref.
@Jim Demps: Absolutely Jim some of the refs in the PRO14 over the last few years have been poor enough.
Doyle is certainly better than most of them imo.
@TL55: Since John Lacey stepped away we have been crying out for a top referee. Frank Murphy and Andrew Brace have a good bit to go to be considered top quality refs. I’m not a fan of George Clancy either but I thought he did a top notch job in the Leinster v Ulster game.
To think ben whitehouse is still reffing international games and pro 14 games
So much of good refereeing is in the communication to the players-in almost all sports and Doyle was good in that regard. I remember him reffing a Japan and Ireland senior game couple of years back which I couldn’t believe at the time but he didn’t do anything untoward and hopefully for him he’ll be back into the swing of things somewhere asap
@Baz: Alain Rolland regularly reffed France because he was registered as an Irish ref, there was also a Nordie ref registered as Scottish though he never popped up as a ref at men’s international level. The Scottish union could do a lot worse than hiring Doyle as they haven’t had an international level men’s XVs ref for yonks. Their best ref works the 7s series and some of the women’s tournaments, I think I’ve only seen him do maybe one pro14 game.
He’s a sound man, JP.
Hopefully he can stay in Rugby fulltime.
But what actually is a Gowl ?
@Daragh Curtis: An old wooden ship from the American civil war era.
@Cian Nolan: perhaps, but I don’t think this was what POM was referring to.
It’s a word for the female genitalia, interestingly enough (from yesterday’s Irish Times) from the Irish word gabhal meaning crotch. Gabhal mná apparently is the full version.
@Daragh Curtis: Robb Stark is one. You’re welcome
@Decko49: nailed it!
@Daragh Curtis: A gowl is essentially what the “C-word” is everywhere else.