The WBC has given Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury a deadline to agree to a deal for their highly-anticipated rematch.
The sanctioning body officially stated that if Wilder and Fury can’t come to an agreement by February 5, then the WBC will conduct a purse bid. Not only did the WBC make an announcement regarding the purse bid, but has also made a special change to the purse split.
Normally, the purse split in this instance would have been 70-30 in favor of the champion, but the WBC ruled that the split is now 60-40 in favor of Wilder, the long-time WBC titleholder in boxing’s heaviest division. The reason for the change in the purse split is that the WBC believes the market value for Fury dictates a far more even split than what it normally has while still giving Wilder the lion’s share of the purse.
"Consistent with the WBC Board of governors voting regarding the direct rematch between WBC champion Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury, the WBC is hereby notifying both camps that the free negotiation period is opened and if there is no agreement between the parties a purse bid will be conducted by the WBC on Tuesday February 5th .
The WBC has modified the 70-30 split and has confirmed a 60-40 split in favor of the champion Wilder considering the market value of Fury."
The news adds pressure to negotiations, which has made some progress. The two sides have publicly stated how much they are interested in the rematch after Wilder and Fury fought to a draw in early December. The fight headlined a pay-per-view which has done more than 300,000 buys and the boxing world called for an immediate rematch, even receiving a stamp of approval by the WBC to sanction such a rematch.
Before the two heavyweight stars can square off in the ring, a number of things have yet to be fully addressed during negotiations. The first is the date. Since the December 1 pay-per-view was considered a commercial success from the reported buyrate, it stands to reason that a rematch would also be on pay-per-view, meaning getting a specific date for such an event is tricky considering how PBC is already handling a pay-per-view on March 16.
The second thing to be addressed is the location. While Fury’s camp wished the rematch would take place in the United Kingdom, Frank Warren, Fury’s promoter, recently said the fight would most likely end up in the United States as it presents the biggest financial rewards for all parties involved.
