With Tyson Fury signing with Top Rank and ESPN, a potential rematch against Deontay Wilder was in trouble of not happening, but Top Rank promoter Bob Arum is still looking to make the fight a reality.
A report from ESPN stated that Arum has sent Wilder's camp a multi-fight deal that would have the two boxers fight each other this fall with interim bouts beforehand. Both interim bouts would take place during the summer on ESPN+, which has more than two million subscribers, with the rematch for the WBC heavyweight title being on pay-per-view.
Wilder's co-manager Shelly Finkel confirmed to ESPN that he has received a deal from Arum and that he and Wilder's team will thoroughly examine it before making a final decision.
"They made an offer. I wrote back that we received it. We will review it and we will respond," Finkel said. "If we are amenable to the offer, we will be able to get something done. If the terms are amenable to us, something will happen. If not, it won't."
The first fight between the two heavyweight stars took place in December 2018 and ended in a controversial draw with the entire boxing community asking for a rematch. The WBC ordered a rematch and the two sides had been seemingly close to the deal as the WBC postponed a purse bid twice. The governing body was so sure that a rematch was close to happening that it created an interim title and ordered Dominic Breazeale and Dillian Whyte to fight for the belt.
But then Fury shocked the sport by signing a multi-year deal with Top Rank and ESPN, something that Wilder's camp had no knowledge, and the rematch was suddenly put in jeopardy.
Following a two-and-a-half year break from the sport, Fury, the lineal heavyweight champion, returned with easy victories over Sefer Seferi and Francesco Pianeta before fighting Wilder at the Staples Center from Los Angeles.
