DEONTAY WILDER is still holding out hope of facing Tyson Fury and will ‘fight any date, any place’.
Wilder, who was beaten by Fury in February, was contracted to an immediate rematch.
But the coronavirus pandemic has so far prevented live crowds from purchasing tickets and as a result delayed the trilogy.
Fury is now fed up of waiting and has called to fight in December in the UK to prepare for an undisputed title decider against Anthony Joshua next year.
It leaves 34-year-old Wilder, who is still training to win back the WBC belt, out in the cold, but his co-promoter insisted they still wish to face Fury.
Shelly Finkel told ESPN: “Deontay and I would like to have the next fight, as planned, against Fury.
“We’ll fight him any date, any place.”
Fury’s US promoter Bob Arum claimed Wilder’s rematch clause expired this month.
It would leave Fury, 32, free to fight by the end of the year before then focussing on WBA, IBF and WBO champion Joshua, 30.
Arum said: “We couldn’t get an appropriate date, until it was next year.
“Tyson said, ‘No, I want to fight in December,’ and so that’s what we arranged in England.
“We had a contract (with Wilder), but it expired.”
Joshua is set to defend his trio of world titles in December against Kubrat Pulev.
If he and Fury emerge victorious before Christmas, it sets them up for a historic Battle of Britain, having already verbally agreed a two-fight deal.
Arum said: “It’s the biggest fight in the history of English boxing.”
And the 88-year-old promoter revealed the unification will take place “wherever it’s the most lucrative to make it happen”.
