Deontay Wilder vs Tyson Fury rematch: WBC extend purse bid by one week as negotiations reach advanced stage

A rematch between the two heavyweights is close to being agreed

The Deontay Wilder vs Tyson Fury rematch purse bid originally scheduled for Tuesday February 5th has been extended by one week by the World Boxing Council, president of the organisation Mauricio Sulaiman has confirmed.

Wilder and Fury fought to a dramatic draw on last year on 1st December in Los Angeles and both men are looking to prove themselves as king of the heavyweight division, while Anthony Joshua looks set to defend his plethora of titles on his US debut with a fight in New York against the undefeated Jarrell Miller.

Talks between the two camps are at a positive stage and could be confirmed before the end of the week, with Las Vegas or New York the likeliest destination for the fight despite Fury’s promoter Frank Warren hoping for the bout to happen on home soil in the United Kingdom – and the WBC confirmed that a request to extend negotiations has been accepted.

Speaking to ESPN, Sulaiman said: “We have extended [for] one week the free negotiations, per their request.”

Negotiation periods before a purse bid are often extended when talks reach the stage of formality, failing to reach an agreement would mean that promotional rights are put up for auction to all boxing promoters and current belt holder Wilder would receive 60 per cent of any split between the two fighters.

Earlier this week, Wilder told reporters that a fight between the two heavyweights was a ‘100 per cent certainty’, with the date of the fight the only thing holding the pair back.

“I think it’s 100 per cent going to be done, it’s just a matter of time.

“It’s not if it happens, it’s when it happens and we are looking at late April or early May.”

The Alabama-born fighter’s promoter Shelly Finkel echoed his fighter, saying: “We’re in strong negotiations and hopefully we will get things done. I don’t think we are going to need a purse bid.”