An arbitrator by the name of Daniel Weinstein has ruled that heavyweight titlist Tyson Fury must offer a rematch to former heavyweight titlist Deontay Wilder by September 15 of this year.
Three years ago, the two men signed a two-fight deal and the first fight took place in December 2018 at the Staples Center. Wilder retained his title after fighting Fury to a split draw. Fourteen months later, Fury and Wilder shared the ring again in Las Vegas, Nevada. This time around, Fury stopped Wilder in the seventh round.
After the second fight took place, it appeared that Fury would be open to a rematch down the line. However, the possibility of a third fight between the two men seemingly went away when Wilder accused Fury of cheating. As a result, Fury turned his attention toward a unifying title bout with fellow heavyweight titlist Anthony Joshua.
At first, it appeared that negotiations between Fury and Joshua had stalled. However, things have picked back up in recent weeks. Most recently, it was reported that the two men would fight in Saudia Arabia on August 7 or August 14 of this year. Both Fury and Joshua are expected to make approximately $75 million from this fight.
With Weinstein’s ruling, everything is up in the air. It is unclear if Fury’s camp will try to challenge this ruling and push a third fight with Wilder back later in the year. If that does happen, Joshua may seek to find another opponent to keep busy. Also, there is a sense that Fury would be a heavy favorite if he were to fight Wilder a third time. However, there is always a chance he could lose the fight and then a fight with Joshua would be out the window. Not to mention, there is always a small chance Joshua could lose if he takes a “stay busy” fight while he waits for Fury. Simply put, this recent ruling puts everything up in the air. It could be everything, something or nothing at all.
Sources: Daniel Weinstein, the arbitrator in the Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder rematch dispute, ruled in favor of Wilder today, saying Fury owes Wilder a third fight. Fury and Wilder signed a two-fight deal but there was disagreement over the rematch clause
— Mike Coppinger (@MikeCoppinger) May 17, 2021
