Tyson Fury has axed his potential rematch with Deontay Wilder, the WBC have confirmed.
The second fight was ordered by the WBC ordered earlier this year and the boxing organisation had granted Fury and Wilder several extensions in the hope an agreement could be reached before purse bids came into play.
But it seems the fans will have to wait until the end of the year at the earliest for the rematch after Fury’s co-promotional deal with Top Rank and ESPN derailed negotiations.
WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman confirmed he had received confirmation from Fury he did not want to fight Wilder next. He said: ‘Deontay Wilder vs Tyson Fury is officially not happening next.
‘The WBC Boxing has received communications as our process and while WBC Champion Wilder confirmed its willingness to fight the rematch, Fury will take on another fight with expectations to do rematch at a later date.’
The WBC champion declared himself a free agent, hinting he would be open to switching from his traditional home of Showtime to ESPN, while Fury said he would instruct Arum and Frank Warren to ensure the rematch went ahead.
Fury and Wilder will appear in the ring this summer before potentially re-opening talks for their rematch later in 2019.
While Wilder seems set to fight mandatory challenger Dominic Breazeale, Fury is expected to make moves to continue to build his burgeoning profile in America.
