Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder’s third instalment has been delayed as a result of the coronavirus that has almost brought the world as we know it to a halt.
However, December 19 is the new date in mind to complete the trilogy with Top Rank executive Brad Jacobs stating that “locations all over the world” are under consideration.
“We are focusing on December 19 and are hoping that, by then, we are back to a nearly normal situation,” Top Rank’s Jacobs told Sky Sports. “That may be a 50 per cent capacity.
“We are looking all over the world, at this point, for the best location for this event. That will be narrowed down and we’ll see where it takes us.”
One idea has been for the pair to fight in Australia on boxing day so the fight could be broadcast in the US and UK on Christmas Day.
Promoter Dean Lonergan, who pitched the idea to Fury’s US promoters Top Rank, told Sky Sports: “If you want to come to one of the safest places in the world and give yourself a guaranteed crowd, well perhaps Australia is the place to be.”
A 45,000 seater has been mooted in Australia, but Top Rank insist they are taking everything into account when figuring out the logistics of this WBC heavyweight title fight.
“We are looking towards what the next step is,” Jacobs said. “A small hall with 1,000 people? A big arena that holds 15,000 but with 3,000 inside? How close can people sit? It is a huge undertaking to reach this next step. We are investigating it actively.”
Fury and Wilder first met in December 2018 where a late knockdown rescued a draw for Wilder after being comprehensively outboxed for the vast majority of the fight up until that point.