Tyson Fury’s third heavyweight title fight with Deontay Wilder has been postponed to October 9 after Fury tested positive for Covid-19.
The promoters announced the new date for the pay-per-view show this morning. Fury and Wilder will still fight at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, and tickets already purchased for the show will be honored on the new date.
Fury (30-0-1, 21 KOs) and Wilder (42-1-1, 41 KOs) had been scheduled to meet July 24 to complete their entertaining fight trilogy.
Fury, the English champion considered the pound-for-pound best heavyweight in the world, tested positive earlier this month along with several members of his camp. Fury was already in the US to complete his final preparations for the bout.
Fury and Wilder fought to a thrilling draw in Los Angeles in December 2018. Although Fury largely outboxed his powerful American challenger, Wilder knocked down Fury twice to split the scorecards.
Fury then trounced Wilder in their rematch in Vegas in February 2020, knocking down Wilder twice and finally forcing Wilder’s corner to stop the bout.
Wilder, who is from Alabama, exercised the rematch clause in his contract even after Fury’s emphatic victory. After an arbitration judge ruled in Wilder’s favor, Fury resignedly agreed to the matchup.
Parker: I don't have Covid
Tied up in the Fury camp outbreak was Kiwi heavyweight Joseph Parker who reportedly contracted the virus as he was training with Fury in Las Vegas when the outbreak happened.
Parker drew attention to himself on Sunday by attending the UFC 264 event in Las Vegas which was headlined by Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier.
Parker was slammed for his attendance and told he "should have been self-isolating" but scoffed at the critiques due to one small detail - he didn't have the coronavirus.
"I found out I had Covid in the paper," Parker told Newshub.
"Before I went to the fights, I returned a negative test. Everything is all good here."
Parker added his family, who are with him in Las Vegas, are safe and well too.
-Additional reporting by Associated Press
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