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Tyson Fury’s heavyweight fight against Deontay Wilder is understood to have been pushed back until October amid reports that the Gypsy King has tested positive for Covid-19.
On Thursday afternoon, Fury’s team moved to deny reports that his trilogy fight has been called off because of a Covid outbreak in the camp.
However, according to boxing reporter Dan Rafael, Fury has tested positive for the virus and as a result the fight has been postponed, with an October date targeted.
Tyson Fury’s team have denied reports that his fight against Deontay Wilder has been delayed
Rumours claimed the bout is set to be pushed back from July to September after a Covid outbreak in Fury’s camp
The Gypsy King is understood to be suffering from symptoms of the virus and has been sidelined from training. It is also understood that trainer Andy Lee, featherweight Isaac Lowe and heavyweight Joseph Parker have also contracted the disease.
Fury has reportedly received his first vaccine dose but is yet to receive his second.
The latest development comes after Top Rank, the Gypsy King’s Las Vegas promoters led by Bob Arum, issued this statement after claims of a Covid outbreak first emerged: ‘We continue to monitor the health status of Tyson and his team and the status of the event has not changed to date.’
Fury was believed to have been unaffected, but fresh reports suggest otherwise. A medical update is expected late on Friday.
Such a postponment would conflict with Anthony Joshua’s defence of his world titles against Olexsandr Usyk on September 25 at Tottenham Hotspur’s stadium.
Fury battered Wilder from pillar to post when they last met in Las Vegas in February 2020
It would also threaten to postpone even further the long awaited Fury-Joshua mega fight for the undisputed world heavyweight championship pencilled in for Midwinter in Saudi Arabia.
Boxing fans would also harbour further doubts about Fury and Joshua ever meeting.
The Gypsy King was set to lock horns with Wilder once again after the American successfully forced him to abandon plans to take on fellow Brit Anthony Joshua following a court arbitration and had been training hard in the US as he bids to down the Bronze Bomber for a second time.
But following a coronavirus scare the bout – which was going to be held at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas – ESPN reported that it was likely to be pushed back until the fall.
The report claims that with the fight set to be a joint pay-per-view with ESPN and FOX, it will now have to be pushed back to the fall because Manny Pacquiao’s fight against Errol Spence Jr is slated for August 21.
Fury shocked the world in February 2020 when he stopped Wilder in the seventh round of their showdown in Las Vegas – taking his WBC world title belt in the process – but has not fought since.
He was widely expected to face Joshua in his next fight, with negotiations between Eddie Hearn and Fury’s promoters Frank Warren and Bob Arum dragging on for months amid a struggle to nail down a site venue and agree terms.
The Gypsy King’s undisputed title fight against Anthony Joshua (R) could now be delayed further if his bout against Wilder is affected
But after the two teams finally reached a breakthrough in talks and the mega undisputed fight seemingly on the verge of being announced – a US judge ruled that Wilder had the right to a third fight with Fury.
The Joshua – Fury fight was swiftly dropped and Fury’s team turned their attentions to Wilder, quickly arranging a July date, with Joshua being forced to take on Oleksandr Usyk in September instead.
Fury could now be fighting in the same month if his contest against Wilder is confirmed to be delayed.
Both fighters are hoping to come through their upcoming fights unscathed and set up a highly anticipated showdown – which had been mooted for this winter. But with the pair fighting so close to the end of the year a Spring date has also been suggested too.
Fury and Wilder had been engaging in their usual trash talk in the build up to this fight, with the British star vowing to ‘run him over like an 18-wheeler’.
‘I gave my game plan away the first time because he wasn’t good enough to do anything about it, I’ll do the same thing this time,’ he said at their first press conference – which saw the two face off in silence for an awkward five minutes.
Fury, now WBC world champion, has not fought since beating Wilder in February 2020
‘Deontay Wilder is a one trick pony, he has one punch power, we all know that, great. What I’ll do to him this time is run him over as if I’m an 18-wheeler and he’s a human being, I guarantee you it does not go past where it did before.
‘I’ve had 18 months of practicing what I’m gonna do to him. I want to get up to 300 pounds for this fight and I’m looking for the big knockout straight away.’
Wilder has hit back in recent weeks and reiterated his claims that Fury ‘cheated’ in their second fight, suggesting he had put an egg weight in his gloves, and stressed he believed Fury would try to cheat in their third bout.
‘You think he ain’t gonna try to cheat this time?’ he told 78SPORTSTV. ‘Oh they’re thinking, they’re coming up with a master plan.
‘But my thing to him – man, you couldn’t even get me out on loaded gloves and the conditions I was under.
‘You couldn’t knock me out, you didn’t knock me out.’
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