Deontay Wilder has warned ‘revenge is the sweetest joy’ as he steps up his preparations for a trilogy bout with Tyson Fury, whose undisputed clash with Anthony Joshua is set to be put on hold.
Fury had been set to square off against British rival Joshua on August 14 in Saudi Arabia, but Wilder was successful in his appeal to enforce a third bout with the Gypsy King, with US judge Daniel Feinstein ruling the fight must take place by September 15.
‘The Bronze Bomber’ now looks certain to take on Fury for a third time on July 24 at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, with the Brit’s US promoter Bob Arum indicating the date and venue have already been reserved.
It means the eagerly-anticipated clash between Fury and Joshua will have to wait until December at the earliest, providing the pair get through their respective bouts against Wilder and, most likely, Oleksandr Usyk.
Wilder will of course have something to say about that, however, and his training video published on Instagram – which comes in addition to the footage he posted working alongside new trainer Malik Scott over the weekend – shows he has no plans to step aside.
Referencing Tupac’s ‘Hail Mary’, Wilder Wrote: ‘Revenge is the sweetest JOY next to getting p***y #BombZquad #TilThisDay #RevengeIsPriceless’, in the caption of his latest release.
Following the news of Wilder’s successful appeal, Fury’s UK promoter Frank Warren told Sportsmail on Monday that the undisputed clash with Joshua remained the priority, with plans to negotiate a big-money settlement that would see the American step aside.
However, Wilder’s new trainer Scott quickly quashed those sentiments, insisting the former WBC champion is seeking ‘retribution’ and that he ‘wants the blood, not that step-aside money’.
The WBC have since revealed they are ready to authorise the heavyweight title clash between Wilder and Fury, as soon as the venue and date are officially confirmed.
President Mauricio Sulaiman said: ‘Yes, we will sanction Fury v Wilder on request. We are on board with Tyson and Anthony Joshua for the undisputed title but a fight between our distinguished current and former heavyweight champions is also an outstanding event.’