Tyson Fury says he’s negotiating for Deontay Wilder fight

Tyson Fury, the former world heavyweight champion, says he’s closing in on a deal to face WBC titleholder Deontay Wilder in December.

Here’s what Fury had to say about the situation:

“I can reveal negotiations are going very strong for December. We are almost done with this deal. But I won’t be looking over Francesco Pianeta. He’s going to give me the right fight, and the right work to prepare me for Deontay Wilder. I’ve got to flatten him first, and then Wilder, let’s dance. You’ve been dealing with shithouses in the past, with Eddie Hearn and Joshua, but I’m a man of my word, and if I say I’ll fight you, I’ll fight you, end of. Prepare well, train hard, let’s get the deal done. I’m going to knock Francesco Pianeta into next week, and then I’m going to knock you spark out, too. Good luck.”

Fury (26-0, 19 KO) and Wilder (40-0, 39 KO) have had their confrontations in the past, including Fury stepping into the ring after a Wilder victory for a face-off on Showtime.

But that was a few years ago. Since then, Fury has retired and unretired and re-retired and re-unretired, and he returned to action this year, his first fight since 2015, and he’s got his second tune-up slated for August 18 against veteran Francesco Pianeta.

Wilder last fought in March, stopping Luis Ortiz in a wild brawl.

Wilder-Fury is a big fight on paper, and a really intriguing one. Wilder has the power, no question, and is a fearsome man, but Fury is even taller than him, and if he’s in shape, has a style that really nobody else in the division does these days, and could be a lot of trouble for Wilder, who sometimes suffers from slow starts and could find himself in a hole.

If this comes off, and Fury is in proper shape for it, I think we’ve got a very interesting fight on our hands.