The third encounter between heavyweights Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder is official for Saturday, July 24.
Fury, the reigning WBC champion, and Wilder, the former titleholder, will meet from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
“I’m excited to once again be fighting in Las Vegas, the home of The Gypsy King,” Fury said. “For the last 18 months, I’ve been living rent free in Wilder’s head. He got smashed to pieces in our last fight, and for some reason, he wants it again. Let’s go. The Big Dosser is getting knocked spark out.”
Fury (30-0-1, 21 KOs), from Manchester, England, has held the lineal heavyweight crown since dethroning Wladimir Klitschko in November 2015. His comeback from substance abuse and mental health issues inspired millions, and it was the two fights against Wilder that propelled him back to the top of the heavyweight heap. Their December 2018 draw — with Fury rising off the deck in the climactic 12th round — elevated both men to the forefront of the boxing world. Fury knocked out Wilder in the seventh round of their one-sided February 2020 rematch; however, Wilder wanted an immediate third crack at his 6’9, 270-pound adversary.
“Nothing has changed. It’s still one face, one name, one champion – Deontay Wilder,” Wilder said. “I’m in the best shape of my life. July 24, I’m going to show the people why I’m still the baddest man on the planet.”
Wilder (42-1, 41 KOs), a 2008 U.S. Olympic bronze medalist from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, won the heavyweight title in January 2015 and re-energized the heavyweight division, captivating fans with his electrifying power and charisma. Wilder held the WBC heavyweight world title for more than five years, notching 10 consecutive successful defenses, more than all-time greats Mike Tyson, Joe Frazier and Lennox Lewis, while earning a reputation as one of the most devastating punchers in boxing history.
Nine of his 10 title defenses ended via knockout, including a pair of come-from-behind victories over Cuban star Luis Ortiz and a one-punch, first-round demolition over 2012 U.S. Olympian Dominic Breazeale. Wilder’s knockout ratio of more than 93 percent still stands as the highest for any heavyweight champion, past or present.