Will Tyson Fury fight Anthony Joshua or Deontay Wilder next? Why UK super bout is in doubt after US deadline

Tyson Fury says he has agreed to fight Anthony Joshua in Saudi Arabia on Saturday 14 August, but that did not account for the ruling of a US judge over his dispute with Deontay Wilder.

Fury first fought Wilder back in December 2018, his first major fight since coming back from a serious bout of depression that including heavy drinking, drug abuse and a suicide attempt.

The self-styled “Gypsy King” was knocked down by Wilder twice, including in a dramatic final round, but picked himself up off the canvas to earn a split-decision draw on the judges’ scorecards.

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The rematch 15 months later was a far more decisive affair, Fury displaying unusual aggression compared to his usual elusive, back-foot style and dominating Wilder before his corner threw in the towel in the seventh round.

The contract for the second fight, as is traditional when a champion puts his belt on the line, included a rematch clause but the Covid-19 pandemic, that shut down Europe just a month after Wilder vs Fury 2, caused significant delays to the bout.

Fury subsequently announced in summer 2020 that a deal had been brokered for him to fight Joshua instead, a contest that would unite all four heavyweight belts for the first time.

However, the Daily Star reported on Monday night that Wilder will stand in the way of that after retired judge Daniel Weinstein, acting as an arbitrator in the case, sided with the American fighter after lengthy discussions.

“Until we can reach an accommodation with Deontay Wilder’s people, I can’t say that [Joshua vs Fury] will definitely happen,” Fury’s promoter Frank Warren told the BBC.

“But we are working hard to get that over the line. We were talking last night and hopefully we can do that.

“If not then Tyson, if he wishes, will go to the fight with Wilder. They’re the only two options.”

The US ruling means that Fury’s representatives will now either have to agree a fight against Wilder before 15 September, or work out a financial package that would see the former WBC world champion paid a hefty fee to step aside and allow Joshua to take his place.

“It’ll cost quite a bit of money. He will want as much as possible so I think it’ll be about the negotiation if we go down that road,” Warren added.

However, Fury’s US promoter Bob Arum, who says he has booked the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas for 24 July in anticipation of a trilogy fight with Wilder, told ESPN on Monday: “We’re not paying Wilder to step aside. It’s better to get rid of him and go about our business. We can make the Fury-Joshua fight for November or December.”

If the Joshua vs Fury fight does fall through, Joshua will need an opponent as a replacement with the 2012 Olympic gold medallist understood to be set on fighting this summer.

Oleksandr Usyk’s promoter Alexander Krassyuk has told the Daily Express that he will offer the Ukrainian as a potential opponent.

Usyk had been due to enter talks with representatives of British heavyweight Joe Joyce but i has been told that the Ukrainian’s team have refused to entertain discussions about that fight while Joshua vs Fury was up in the air.