Fury, Wilder: ‘Sense must prevail’ to make rematch

Promoter Frank Warren says he hopes “some sense will prevail” in organising a rematch between Britain’s Tyson Fury and American Deontay Wilder.

A second fight has been anticipated since they first met in December, when Wilder retained his WBC heavyweight belt after a draw in Los Angeles.

Warren says Fury’s lucrative deal with US broadcaster ESPN means he must take a warm-up fight before facing Wilder.Warren added that the rematch will then hopefully take place in the autumn.

“ESPN are insisting that he has a fight on there before he fights Wilder,” he told BBC Radio 5 live.”(It) will give him bigger exposure, and thus make pay-per-view a bigger attraction when they do the pay-per-view.

“Tyson wanted the fight (with Wilder). I certainly wanted it. A little bit disappointed in some ways, but that’s the decision they’ve made.”

Meanwhile, 30-year-old Fury, who will receive a reported £80m fee for the five-fight deal, has been involved in a heated Twitter exchange with Wilder.

“My team offered to do you a favour, pay you better and build your name,” Fury told the 33-year-old, adding that he has “taken over the USA”.

Fury’s ESPN deal could make negotiations with WBC champion Wilder more difficult, given he is aligned with the Showtime network.

The other recognised world heavyweight championship belts – WBA, IBF and WBO – are held by Britain’s Anthony Joshua.

“The TV companies, they’ve got to sell to the public these fights, and if these guys are all fighting B grade or C grade opponents, then they’ll not going to sell,” added Warren.

“So they’ve got to make it work, we’ve got to make it work between all of us, to find out who’s the best out of these three guys.”

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