Deontay Wilder has confirmed he will give Tyson Fury a rematch.
The WBC heavyweight champion retained his title in Los Angeles on Saturday following a dramatic yet questionable draw at the Staples Center.
Wilder dropped Fury twice in the fight but was otherwise soundly outboxed, exclusively live on BT Sport Box Office in the UK and Showtime Pay-Per-View Stateside.
The verdict at the end of twelve pulsating rounds was a split decision draw after the three scoring ringside judges handed in tallies of 115-111 for Wilder, 114-112 for Fury and 113-113, with Mexico’s Alejandro Rochin the judge who had the American as the winner.
Fury, 30, said that he thought ‘Bronze Bomber’ Wilder would avoid a rematch at all costs, maybe angling towards an undisputed fight with Anthony Joshua, the WBA Super, WBO, IBF and IBO champion whose promoter Eddie Hearn flew out to LA on Monday to head back to the negotiation table with the 33-year-old’s team.
But Wilder, who claimed he won the fight and was the “more aggressive fighter and landed the more effective punches”, shocked everyone by effectively confirming in a post on social media that the return with the ‘Gypsy King’ was top of his priority list.
“You saw the best Fury but you did not get the best Wilder and I still managed to get the job done,” he said on Instagram. “At the end of the day, boxing wins. The fans are the real winner and I can’t wait for Wilder vs. Fury II to end the controversial talk around the world once and for all.”
Meanwhile, Fury said in the aftermath that he had “never seen a worse decision in my life,” describing the result as a “gift” to his opponent.
And Frank Warren, Tyson Fury’s promoter, has spoken to Charles Giles, the president of the British Boxing Board of Control, and they will together appeal the decision in the hope that the WBC grant an immediate rematch.
Article by: Elliot Foster