Tyson Fury has offered his first statement on the Deontay Wilder arbitration decision.
Yesterday, boxing’s heavyweight picture was turned upside down after it was ruled that Fury would have to grant Wilder a rematch by September 15 due to a contract clause Fury’s team had previously argued had expired. The ruling has potentially (and seemingly most likely) brought an end to a blockbuster fight between Fury and fellow heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua.
Today, Fury took to his social media to throw a few verbal shots at his old rival’s way, and accused the American of demanding $20 million to step aside and allow Joshua versus Fury to continue.
“What a joke @bronzebomber has become,” Fury wrote in an Instagram story. “Asked for 20 million to move over #joker. Looks like I’ll have to crack his skull again!”
Fury and Wilder have met in the ring twice before. Their first time ended in a controversial draw, which in truth many look back on as a victory for Fury. Their rematch ended much more decisively, with Fury knocking Wilder down multiple times en route to Wilder’s corner stopping the contest. Wilder subsequently fired his coach, Mark Breland, for what he later deemed as Breland’s role in a conspiracy to shred him of his WBC heavyweight title.
Both men haven’t competed since that rematch last February, but Fury was all but confirmed to meet Joshua on August 14 in Saudi Arabia. Now, per Top Rank’s Bob Arum, it would seem July 24 will be the date for Fury vs. Wilder III, as Joshua likely moves on to meet Oleksandr Usyk instead.
