Tyson Fury has shaken up the boxing world yet again. The undefeated Englishman announced on Twitter that he and promoter Frank Warren struck a multi-fight deal with Bob Arum’s Top Rank Boxing and ESPN. Boxing Scene reports that, just because of the deal, it doesn’t mean that Fury won’t be fighting Deontay Wilder in their highly-anticipated rematch from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on May 18th:
Big thanks to @MTKGlobal and @frankwarren_tv for getting this deal done. Now the best heavyweight on the plant has a home in ?? @espn and a home in ?? @btsport pic.twitter.com/lbOME1TM51
— TYSON FURY (@Tyson_Fury) February 18, 2019
However, it does complicate things. Wilder might be required to take lesser profile fights to give Arum, Al Haymon, ESPN, and Showtime enough time to figure out how to put together an agreement that will distribute pay-per-view (PPV) out. Negotiations were nearly finalized for the Fury vs. Wilder rematch before ESPN’s press release this morning.
Showtime distributed the first fight between the heavyweight stars. However, in conjunction with ESPN and its massive reach, the rematch has the opportunity to be twice as big. With Fury now signing on with ESPN, it makes a fight with boxing’s top three heavyweights (Wilder, Fury, and Anthony Joshua) much harder to organize.
Fury and Wilder’s initial fight ended in a Majority Draw. However, the pair put on one for the ages. Fans have been clamoring for a rematch ever since. It looks like they’ll have to wait a bit longer.
What do you think about Fury signing with Top Rank Boxing and ESPN?
