After a lot of assurances that came without an official announcement or even press release, leaving some doubt about the date if not the fight, we can now say it’s officially on: Deontay Wilder will defend the WBC heavyweight title in a rematch against Tyson Fury on Feb. 22 at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena, with FOX and ESPN+ working together on the pay-per-view.
“I’m happy and I’m excited that the rematch is finally happening,” said Wilder. “I want to give the fans what they want to see. I’ve been doing it with my last three outings — Fury, Breazeale and Ortiz. They’ve been spectacular events, from my ring walks where I gather all the energy of the people, to my uniforms that I wear to help spread that energy. Then I give them what they all come for, the knockouts, and my knockouts have been amazing. I proved myself the first time and I’m ready to do it again. It was a very controversial fight. I promise my fans that there won’t be any controversy with this one. I’m going to finish it.”
“There’s no more ducking and diving,” said Fury. “The date has been set, and the ‘Bomb Squad’ is about to be securely detonated and the real champion crowned as the world watches on for the most anticipated fight in years. This is unfinished business for me, but come Feb. 22, this dosser will finally get what’s coming to him, and I can’t wait!”
This fight getting done is a rare occurrence where Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions and Bob Arum’s Top Rank are working together, which gives hope for, for instance, an eventual fight between Errol Spence Jr and Terence Crawford at welterweight. If the money’s there, anything can happen in boxing, even with all the political BS. that needs to be waded through. And it’s a good sign that FOX and ESPN can work together if the event is big enough, too.
So there it is, Feb. 22. Bring on the rematch!
Source: Badlefthook.com
