Boxing
Deontay Wilder, Tyson Fury agree to Feb. 22 rematch in Las Vegas
It's official. After fighting to a controversial split draw in December of 2018, Deontay Wilder will face Tyson Fury in a rematch Feb. 22 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, live on pay-per-view.
Their original bout had Fury outboxing Wilder, although "The Bronze Bomber" knocked the "Gypsy King" down twice, including once in the 12th round when the British fighter memorably rose off the mat to survive.
This time around, Wilder vows that Fury won't beat the referee's count when knocked down.
"I will finish what I started, and this time (Fury)Â will not be getting up off that canvas so quickly," Wilder said as part of his Instagram post Friday.
Since the first and only draw of his career, the undefeated Wilder (42-0-1, 41 KOs) has delivered a first-round destruction of Dominic Breazeale in May followed by a seventh-round KO of Luis Ortiz in November. Now, it's all about getting the win that eluded him last year.
"I'm happy and I'm excited that the rematch is finally happening," Wilder said in a Top Rank press release. "I want to give the fans what they want to see. I've been doing it with my last three outings — Fury, Breazeale and Ortiz. They've been spectacular events — from my ring walks where I gather all the energy of the people, to my uniforms that I wear to help spread that energy. Then I give them what they all come for — the knockouts, and my knockouts have been amazing.
"I proved myself the first time and I'm ready to do it again. It was a very controversial fight. I promise my fans that there won't be any controversy with this one. I'm going to finish it."
Fury (29-0-1, 20 KOs) kept busy in 2018 with two fights as well: a second-round TKO of Tom Schwarz in June followed by a harder-than-expected unanimous decision over Otto Wallin in September.
He claims Wilder won't be yelling "Bomb Squad" on Feb. 22.
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"There's no more ducking and diving,"Â Fury said. "The date has been set, and the 'Bomb Squad'Â is about to be securely detonated and the real champion crowned as the world watches on for the most anticipated fight in years. This is unfinished business for me, but come February 22, this dosser will finally get what's coming to him, and I can't wait!"
