EDDIE HEARN fears Tyson Fury’s third fight with Deontay Wilder is on the verge of being postponed again.
The trilogy bout is scheduled for October 9 in Las Vegas but Brit fans are still not free to fly to the US and there has been hardly any hype whipped up by the promotional teams or TV channels.
It’s almost two years since Fury produced a career-best performance to batter the American and be crowned the WBC heavyweight king, with the pandemic since kyboshing a couple of third-fight plans.
And Hearn believes another ditched date should mean Fury is stripped of the title, leaving Anthony Joshua or Dillian Whyte free to finally fight for it.
“Is that fight even happening?” AJ’s promoter wondered.
“We are about to announce our next America show for October 16th and that’s only six weeks away and it’s tight but it’s not as big a card as Fury vs Wilder 3 should be.
“They have sold no tickets and there is absolutely zero hype around the fight.
“I am sure, if it happens, that people will turn on and watch it but no one is flying to Vegas.
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“I reckon 75 per cent of the people that went to the second fight were Brits who had flown over and normal fans cannot do that now.”
The WBC has form for putting their belt holders in recess or granting them franchise or emeritus status, while they are sidelined with injury or moving between weight classes.
So Hearn wants them to act if the rapidly approaching date is missed and both of his stars put in the frame for a shot at the green and gold belt.
“I want it to happen 100 per cent,” the Matchroom boss said. “I want a winner of that fight finally sorted so we can try again to make AJ’s undisputed fight.
“But if it doesn’t happen then the WBC have to finally put Fury into recess.
“Fury has not boxed since February 2020 and if he doesn’t box in October then it will be almost two years since that title was defended.
“I think he needs to fight because otherwise he needs to be stripped of the title or made champion-in-recess.
“Because Dillian Whyte has been sitting there as interim champion desperate and deserving of a shot.”
Fury vs Wilder 3 was previously planned for July 24 only for an alleged case of covid-19 for the Gypsy King to cause that show to be ditched.
The 6ft 9in Brit has never confirmed the diagnosis and confusion and contradictions around the situation left people, including Hearn, wondering if dwindling interest was behind the cancellation.
He said: “If you are guaranteeing people money, or have told them roughly what their purse is expected to be, and then suddenly you are looking at the numbers and realising you are taking four million dollars on the gate instead of eighteen million, then you have a problem.
“I appreciate the two-year absence is down to the pandemic and the problems it brought but, when it gets to two years and everyone else has managed to fight, something has got to happen.”
