Fury vs Wilder 3: Alberto Puello vs Rances Barthelemy rebooked for July 24th prelims

Dan Rafael reports that according to the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s agenda for the coming week, PBC will once again attempt to book Alberto Puello vs Rances Barthelemy, this time on the July 24th Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder 3 prelims.

This will be the third attempt to get these guys to share a ring; a March 2020 date fell through due to COVID, then the September date collapsed when Puello (18-0, 10 KO) ran into visa issues.

Because the WBA are cretins, they slapped a wholly unnecessary interim super lightweight belt onto “La Avispa’s” 2019 clash with fellow unbeaten Jonathan Alonso, whom Puello beat by narrow unanimous decision. He’s since stayed busy with a December knockout of Argentina’s Cristian Rafael Coria, and this will mark his first appearance outside of the Dominican Republic.

Barthelemy (28-1-1, 14 KO) spent more than a year and a half on the shelf after his putrid draw with Robert Easter Jr, only returning to the ring last January with a decision over Ali Rivera. The former two-division titlist talked about moving up to 147 to chase another title, but it seems he’ll be staying put for the time being.