The World Boxing Council’s February 13th deadline for the Deontay Wilder v Tyson Fury rematch to be confirmed is set to come and go on Wednesday.
As WBN explained earlier this week, representatives of Wilder and Fury should have had a deal over the line by midweek.
With just hours to go, Wilder’s co-manager Shelly Finkel has stated an agreement has been delayed.
“Things have gotten delayed a little. But as far as I know, there are no issues,” Finkel told ESPN. “I would hope the fight is completed late this week or early next week.”
There remains hope something official can be sorted out by the weekend. WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman will not push through an intended purse bid.
“I have been in direct communication with both parties, and they have indicated that they are in goodwill negotiations. They are very close to reaching an agreement,” Sulaiman pointed out.
“I will monitor this matter personally and, if needed, will intervene within the next week,” he added.
The news comes as a blow to Anthony Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn. The Matchroom boss had hoped to make a huge offer on behalf of DAZN for Wilder v Fury II.
A purse bid would have allowed any promotional outfit to bid for the rights to stage the massive heavyweight contest.
The WBC’s recent statement means any auction will be scrapped until Wilder and Fury’s teams are ready to confirm their deal.
PPV
Showtime and BT Sport are set to take TV rights for a Pay-Per-View battle, likely heading to New York over Las Vegas.
The first encounter made 325,000 PPV buys. Whilst the second is projected to secure over half a million – at least.
A Fury win would certainly breed the third contest. However, there are now nagging doubts over a trilogy if Wilder manages to defend his green and gold strap again.
Rumors Wilder will fully focus on an undisputed collision with Joshua have surfaced in recent days.
It depends on how Wilder v Fury II pans out and how Joshua performs against Jarrell Miller on June 1.
Joshua makes his United States debut in a bid to drum up US support for the Wilder fight.
