Tyson Fury set to agree to £20million heavyweight title rematch in New York against Deontay Wilder

• Tyson Fury is likely to earn £20million purse for rematch against Deontay Wilder 
• Fury gave the £7million he earned from their first epic encounter to charity 
• The heavyweight title bout is close to being confirmed for New York on May 18 

By

Jeff Powell for the Daily Mail

Published:
17:33 EST, 11 February 2019

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Updated:
17:33 EST, 11 February 2019

Tyson Fury, as he turns towards New York for his world heavyweight title rematch, can feel entitled to keep a purse projected to reach three times the £7million he gave to charity after his epic first encounter with Deontay Wilder.

The Gypsy King, having reconfirmed his extraordinary donation to Britain’s homeless, is in the final stage of negotiation for a second Wilder fight which is expected to take place in the Big Apple on May 18.

Fury referred to his charitable gesture at a speaking engagement in Cardiff at the weekend and few will begrudge him pocketing his next big pay-day to prevent what he described as ‘me probably ending up like all the old boxers… skint.’ 

Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder are close to confirming rematch after their draw in 2018

Fury also revealed fears at the time that he might have been ‘brain damaged’ by the power of the blow which flattened him in the last round in Los Angeles in November, a brutal knockdown from which he miraculously regained consciousness – and his feet – to finish the fight.

US pay-per-view television revenue is expected to boost takings from Wilder-Fury II well above £50m.

Both teams have been fine tuning the deal to prevent their fight for Wilder’s title going to rescheduled purse bids at WBC headquarters in Mexico City on Wednesday morning.

Fury revealed fears at the time he may have been ‘brain damaged’ after being knocked down

Fury’s share, even if restricted to 40 per cent as the challenger, should exceed £20m.

Talks were delayed by discussion not only of the financial split but also the choice of venue.

Las Vegas was the first option but Fury’s insistence on three neutral judges – following the controversial draw in the first fight – is contrary to the preference of the State Athletic Commission there for Nevada officials.

Fury’s promoter Frank Warren is understood to be in New York finalising contracts with Wilder’s co-promoters Shelly Finkel and Al Haymon, with the fabled Madison Square Garden earmarked for May 18 and an announcement imminent.

Anthony Joshua may also be fighting his next bout in New York, likely against Jarrell Miller

The same city, in this case using the Barclays Center, is pencilled in for Anthony Joshua’s defence of his collection of WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight belts against Brooklyn-born Jarrell Miller.

Joshua’s US debut has been hastened by the commitment of Wilder and Fury to fight each other again and the refusal of Dillian Whyte to take over the Wembley Stadium date of April 13, which had been set aside for AJ’s next mega-night.

Joshua’s clash with the big-punching Miller should also be confirmed this week.

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Stuart Lancaster has declared his admiration for the way England have become savvy hunters in their pursuit of this year’s Guinness Six Nations title.

Eddie Jones’ predecessor as head coach guided the national team to four consecutive runners-up finishes in the annual championship, from 2012-2015.

Now respected at Leinster, he has viewed the current tournament with divided loyalties, due to his connections on both sides of the Irish Sea.

Stuart Lancaster has been impressed with how England have performed in the Six Nations

But after England’s victories over 2018 champions Ireland and a hapless France, Lancaster has recognised how they have responded to the shock of their fifth-place finish last year.

Asked if that was merely a blip, he said: ‘Yeah, I think so. It’s amazing, the motivation of being the hunted or the hunter; how it affects teams. Certainly, people were after England last year in the same way that people are after Ireland this year.

‘England have played that role well so far. I think England played well in the Ireland game, they played well against France and I think the Wales game will be a pivotal one in the Six Nations.

‘Wales have just sat there quietly in the background winning their games. It’s a very tricky place to go and win.’

Lancaster was coach when England lost 30-3 to Wales in Cardiff in 2015 to miss a Grand Slam

Lancaster knows all too well how tough it can be to go to Cardiff with grand ambitions. 

In 2013, he took his England squad there with a Slam in their sights but they endured a record 30-3 defeat. However, that was at an early stage of their evolution.

Many of the same players are still involved and the man who introduced them to Test rugby believes they are reaching their prime at just the right time, given what lies ahead in the autumn this year.

Lancaster has admired the growth and development of key players within the national squad

‘You can see the growth of the team,’ said Lancaster. ‘I think we said from the start that the reality is this England team should peak in 2019. 

‘It was always a race against time for 2015, but by 2019 you could see the age profile, the quality of the players and the experience they would have, it should be their time.

‘I see particularly the likes of Henry Slade and guys like that who were all on the pathway, the starting point. All the lads who are on 50 caps were on zero caps when I started.’

The former national coach admitted it was a race against time to win 2015 Rugby World Cup

The way Sunday’s game against France at Twickenham unfolded was clear proof of how so many of the England players have gained international know-how — the savvy streak to complement their fervent hunter’s mentality. 

It was especially evident in the way the decision-makers and footballers in the back-line unlocked the shambolic French defence with an astute kicking game which created five of the six English tries.

Lancaster watched on, suitably impressed. ‘They’re obviously doing their homework and understanding that there’s always space on a rugby field,’ he said.

Jonny May scored a hat-trick as England successfully exploited space to defeat France

‘They were good at exploiting the space. Especially against France, who were so disorganised in the back field. There was sometimes nobody there, so obviously any kick is going to be a threat.

‘You’ve got a lot of rugby intellect on the field, you’ve got two left- footers in Elliot Daly and Henry Slade — and Henry used to be a 10 and can play 12. You’ve got Owen Farrell in there and Ben Youngs, who has 60-70 caps.

‘So England have some very good kicking options at the moment. The way teams have defended, they have seen the space in behind and kicked it there, which is common-sense, really.

‘If teams defend differently sometimes kicking is not the best option. We played Toulouse in the Heineken Champions Cup and they had three in the back-field all the time and all their tries came from counter-attacks. So what you don’t want to do against them is kick the ball, or at least not kick it to them. You need to make it contestable.

‘It’s about being adaptable to the opposition. If they have the back-field loaded, you take on the front-line. If there’s nobody in the back-field, then clearly you want to kick the ball to where the space is. And that is what England have done well in both games — particularly against France.’

Lancaster is currently senior coach at Irish giants Leinster and admitted his loyalties were split

Meanwhile, London Irish confirmed on Monday the signing of Leinster’s Ireland and Lions flanker Sean O’Brien — a major transfer coup.

The 31-year-old will join the promotion-chasing Championship club in December after taking part in Ireland’s World Cup campaign.

‘I’ll roll up the sleeves and use my experience to re-establish London Irish as a top club in England,’ he said.

Sean O’Brien will join Championship side London Irish after the 2019 Rugby World Cup