With just over four weeks until Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder share a ring for the third time, three all-heavyweight bouts have been announced on the undercard.
Fight fans who love the big hitters of the sport will be delighted to learn that at least four heavyweight clashes will feature on the July 24th bill, with the rematch between Robert Helenius and Adam Kownacki the highlight of the supporting action.
After months of negotiations, the deal fell through for Fury to face Anthony Joshua in what would have been a bout to be crowned undisputed heavyweight world champion. History would have been made in what was set to be the biggest fight that British boxing, and perhaps world boxing, had ever seen.
It wasn’t to be, for now at least, and while ‘AJ’ prepares for an expected fight against former undisputed cruiserweight king Oleksandr Usyk, Fury is in Vegas training for the trilogy with ‘The Bronze Bomber’.
Their first fight ended in a controversial draw, with the vast majority of viewers believing that ‘The Gypsy King’ had done more than enough to be given the decision inside Los Angeles’ Staples Center.
Any such doubts as to who is the superior boxer were put to bed in February 2020, or at least so everyone thought, when Fury stopped Wilder in emphatic fashion inside seven one-sided rounds at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. With the matter seemingly closed, all attention turned to the Fury v Joshua super fight, with contracts reportedly signed and a venue of Saudi Arabia believed to have been agreed.
However, Wilder and his team had other ideas, and after winning a court case that stated the trilogy was to come next, we go again in what is one of the most intriguing rivalries the sport has offered in recent times.
Perhaps in a bid to repel an expected backlash after denying fight fans of the biggest bout in the sport, the powers that be have moved quickly to announce a hard hitting undercard of heavyweight action that should make people sit up and take notice.
Similarly to their last meeting, the main undercard will be made up of one bout from Fury’s Top Rank team, one for Wilder’s PBC backing, and a cross-promotional fight between the pair.
Polish heavyweight Kownacki was an undefeated contender when he faced veteran Helenius in March last year, and will be desperate to avenge that shock stoppage defeat with the world watching.
21-year-old Jared Anderson is making an awful lot of noise across the pond and has won all of his nine professional outings inside the distance. In fact, five of those knockouts have come in the first round, with Kingsley Ibeh lasting the longest yet against ‘Big Baby’ when he took him into the sixth session in February.
Anderson will undoubtedly be making a step up when he takes on southpaw Vladimir Tereshkin whose only record blemish came in a draw with Adnan Serin some 13 years ago.
Two undefeated prospects in Frank Sanchez and Efe Ajabga make up the other undercard bout, with 25 knockouts to boast of between them.
It maybe isn’t the fight we all had hoped for, but with four heavyweight clashes already confirmed on the T-Mobile Arena bill, it certainly isn’t one to be missed.
